Not Your Usual Veela Mate
by Janara
Summary: Draco is a Veela and guess who his mate is? I've tried to write a Veela story where the two don't jump into bed immediately, hence the title. Will contain Dumbledore bashing. HPDM LMSS AU from book 5
1. Find Your Mate, Draco

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harry Potter, his friends, or his enemies.

This story will be a slash story in time. However, they will not jump in bed immediately, since this story is just as much, if not more, about personal development and growth. Nagging me about hurrying things up will be pointless, sorry. Hopefully you will find the wait worth the time, grin.

This is an AU, which begins at the start of Harry's sixth year. There will probably be spoilers from all of the first five books, but none from book six since in my universe HBP doesn't exist.

**A/N:** This chapter has been re-written since it needed a major overhaul.

Thank you Lia, for doing the Beta-reading.

* * *

_**Find Your Mate, Draco**_

**_Day One - Monday Sep 2 1996_**

Draco Malfoy was sitting at the Slytherin table, fighting the urge to bang his head against the hard surface. He was slowly going insane, and there was nothing he could do about it. At least not yet.

The Veela inside him was singing in his blood, urging him to go and find his mate and claim them so that no one else could get their grubby hands on him. The urge was only getting stronger the more he resisted, and Draco wasn't sure how much longer he could fight the siren song that was his other half.

Draco had known almost all his life that he was a Veela; his father had made sure that he knew both of the dangers and the benefits this entitled. Considering the misfortune Lucius had had with his own mate, Draco was _very_ aware of the pitfalls that awaited him until he had safely claimed the other half of his soul, which made fighting the mating urge even harder.

However, he was a Malfoy, and he was not about to do anything foolish that might jeopardise his entire future. If only his father would bloody well hurry up and get here!

"Are you alright?" Blaise asked, sending Draco a worried glance. Of all the Slytherins present, he was the only one who had an inkling what it was Draco was going through. In spite of his dark looks, Blaise Zabini carried Veela blood as well in his veins. It was diluted though, and not many of the Veela gifts had manifested themselves when he turned sixteen, but he knew the stories, and he understood, somewhat, the urges Draco was currently fighting.

"No!" Draco snapped harshly, only to immediately apologise. "I'm sorry, Blaise, but this is driving me _batty_. He is here, I can sense him, he is smelling so sweetly, but he is so sad, Blaise, so sad. All I want to do is find him and hug him and make everything better, only I _can't._" Draco said in frustration.

The blond boy clasped his tea cup in an iron grip - it was a miracle it didn't shatter under the strain – just so he wouldn't do anything foolish, like tearing his hair out. Or run up and down the tables, sniffing the air. Where the hell was his father? It wasn't as if he hadn't been kept waiting forever as it was. He had been waiting the entire, bleeding summer for Salazar's sake!

Draco had turned sixteen in the beginning of June, and once he had recovered from having his Veela blood awakened, something had been niggling at the edge of his senses. It had been extremely distracting, and it was a miracle he had managed to perform as well as he had on his O.W.L.s.

The only thing stopping him from hunting down his mate was the fact that he couldn't pin point who it was, which indicated that whoever it was, hadn't turned sixteen yet. A fact that somewhat put a damper on Draco's spirits. What if their birthday wasn't until Christmas? No way in hell was he going to manage to get _anything_ done while being distracted like this.

Lucius had been sympathetic, but there wasn't much he could do, other than making sure to keep Draco busy. This had resulted in one of the best summer holidays of the young Veela's life. His father had taken him on an extended trip around the world, visiting places of prominence in both the magical and the Muggle world. Draco had loved every minute of it.

Father and son had ended their vacation by spending two glorious weeks on an unplottable island outside the coast of Australia, doing nothing more strenuous than sunning themselves, lying on a soft, sandy beach, or swimming in the warm ocean. And this was why the blond had returned to Hogwarts with a most healthy tan, causing just about everyone who saw him to drool. Because, if Draco Malfoy had been pretty before, he was now down right beautiful, with his pale blond hair that was almost resembling a halo as it contrasted against his nicely tanned skin, which no longer was looking like alabaster.

They had also done a lot of talking, and Draco felt he was a lot closer to his father now than he had ever been before. That he was now considered an adult in the eyes of the law probably had something to do with it, but mostly it was due to the older man working on re-connecting with his son. The two of them had been very close when Draco was a child; however, some of that closeness had diminished since Draco spent most of his time at Hogwarts. But now their closeness was back in full force, and the teen was determined not to let it slip away from him again. Mate or not, he was _not_ giving up on his father as a friend and confidant.

Speaking of mate, where the _hell_ was his father?

Draco sighed, fighting the urge to pout. The distraction the vacation had provided had worked and he had almost, _almost_, forgotten all about that niggling feeling, which was probably why he had been hit so hard when he had entered the platform where the Hogwarts' Express was waiting.

One whiff of that enticing scent, and Draco had felt his transformation start. Completely lost in the perfume that spelled M.A.T.E Draco had been unaware of moving. He had been deaf to the calls of his father, and he had been utterly unprepared for the stunner Lucius had cast on him. Needless to say, he had been _most_ displeased waking up in his own bed, in his own room at Malfoy Manor.

Lucius had had to do some very fast talking to avoid both the fight and the hissy fit Draco was ready to indulge in. In the end they had come to a compromise. Draco would be allowed to spend the night at Hogwarts, since that would calm his raging instincts somewhat, but he would not attend the Welcoming Feast, and only appear for breakfast the next morning.

Draco had not been entirely happy, but he had agreed; anything to get closer to his mate. So here he was, sitting at the Slytherin table, waiting for his father so he could start looking for the one that was destined for him. The only thing he knew for sure was that it was a he, and that he wasn't a Slytherin.

Even though he knew that his mate was supposed to be the one being that completed his soul, making him whole, Draco still had feared that it would be one of his fellow Slytherins. Hard pressed to suppress a shudder, the Veela was thanking just about every deity out there for escaping _that_ fate.

"Are you alright?" Blaise asked once more, eyeing his friend worriedly. Severus had given him the responsibility to make sure that Draco didn't do anything rash before Lucius arrived, though the youth wasn't sure how he was supposed to manage that. Draco was far stronger than he was, both physically and magically, and if you equated the Veela instincts fighting for dominance...

"I'm fine, Blaise, there is no need for you to worry so much. I'm just feeling grateful that it isn't a Slytherin," Draco replied, sending the other boy a small smile.

Doing a swift mental inventory of their year-mates, Blaise was hard pressed to suppress his own shudders. "Thanks a lot, Draco!" he complained, doing his best to erase the mental images that had popped into his head. Diane Greengrass was the only female worth her salt, but since her ambition in life was to become the next Celestina Warbeck, she was forever obsessing about clothes, make-up, and music. Only the dire threats from her father caused her to buckle down and study, ensuring she got good grades. She might live for her music, but she wasn't about to starve for it.

The boys weren't much better when it came to marriage material. Draco and Blaise were too good friends to even consider themselves as lover material for the other, aside from the fact that Blaise so far had only liked girls. There was Theodore Nott, but since he was an incredible flirt, who refused to take anything seriously, he was not someone you wanted guarding your back. As for Crabbe and Goyle, could you say 'Eeeuuw'?

"Hey, why should I suffer alone?" Draco asked, some of his good mood restored. Blaise merely huffed, sending his friend a mock glare.

"At least this should get Pansy off your back," Blaise said, turning to more serious matters once more. "I can't believe that your mother is actually encouraging her. Stop. I take it back, yes, I can. But not even she will be able to fight the Mating. I'm just glad I don't have to worry about that," Blaise said with feeling.

He had been a bit worried when his father had informed him that he was betrothed to a witch from Sweden. However, having met her this summer, those worries had been mostly put to rest. She was beautiful, and none of it was due to glamour charms, with long blond hair and dancing blue eyes. It was only an added bonus that she had a wicked sense of humour and an even temper, a perfect match for the steady Slytherin boy who loved playing practical jokes.

The month Blaise had spent with her and her family had been pleasant, and he couldn't wait for next year when she would be transferring to Hogwarts, enabling the two to get to know each other better. She would have transferred this year, only her family had been worried about the unrest in Britain, and had been urging Blaise's father to allow the boy to be the one to transfer instead. At the moment, things were at an impasse, and Blaise could only hope that the war would end soon. He had no wishes of becoming a Death Eater, and he sure as hell didn't wish that fate on Draco, but as things looked at the moment, their futures were bleak to say the least.

Determined to think of more cheerful things, Blaise looked around the Great Hall, trying to figure out who Draco's mate could be. There weren't that many available candidates after all. "Can you sense him?" he asked, still deep in thought.

"'Can you sense him?' What kind of inane, idiotic question is _that_? Of course I can bloody well sense him," Draco hissed angrily, giving his friend an incredulous look.

"I know you can, but can you pinpoint from which part of the Great Hall the scent is coming from?" Blaise asked with a longsuffering sigh, waiving the glowering look aside with ease. It wasn't as if he hadn't been subjected to them for years.

Draco huffed, but he too turned to look out over the hall, delicately scenting the air. "No," he eventually groaned, "and it is driving me insane. I need him so much. I have never experienced such a divine fragrance, but every time I try to analyse it, I just get lost in it. I need him, Blaise. I need him so much it hurts," Draco moaned, pushing his plate away, suddenly revolted by the sight and smell of his breakfast.

"Calm down, Dray. Look, your Father just arrived, he'll help you make it better," Blaise said, having just spotted the senior Malfoy entering the Great Hall, doing his best to ease the distress of his friend.

"Good morning, Dragon, I take it you are still searching?" Lucius asked, sitting down next to his son and looking at him with worry. He had accompanied Draco to the Hogwarts' Express the day before and had barely managed to stop him from hunting down and pouncing on his unsuspecting mate there and then.

Even he had been able to sense the child, and never in all his years had he encountered such a strong scent. Whoever the boy was, and it was clear it was a boy, he was extremely strong and not entirely human. It wouldn't surprise him if the child wasn't human at all. But who? If you went by power alone that would indicate the blasted Boy Who Lived. But both his parents had been extremely human, not a whiff of non-human blood in either of them. So who was this unknown entity?

Realising that there was no way Draco could travel on the train and not attack his mate and claim him right there, Lucius had Portkeyed the two of them home before placing a fire call to Severus. Draco had not been pleased when he woke up in his own bed. In the end, he had given his permission for Draco to return to school in time for the Welcoming Feast, as long as he promised not to leave his dorm before breakfast. Severus had made sure that the promise had been kept by putting up a few choice wards around the dungeons. It had helped that the mate was not a Slytherin, for which Lucius was extremely thankful. Just about anyone was better than his son's Housemates, even a Hufflepuff.

"Morning, Father. Can I go look now? I need him, Father, it hurts." Draco pleaded with his eyes for Lucius to give in.

Normally the blond aristocrat would have reprimanded his son for his behaviour, but how could he, given the circumstances? "Yes, you may go and search for him," Lucius allowed with a small smile of understanding. "Be careful and make sure no one sees you," he added, watching indulgently as Draco jumped up from the table, a bright smile on his face. With him here, Draco should be able to control his instincts better and now that he wasn't taken by surprise, he wouldn't pounce on whomever it was that was calling to him.

Lucius and Blaise watched as Draco sauntered towards the doors leading to the dungeons, the blond boy was oozing sex-appeal, and quite a few individuals were watching him go, lust evident in their eyes.

Draco was blind to them all, totally focused on his mission. Walking through the doors, he quickly faded from everyone's view, slinking back into the hall before the doors closed again. Only Lucius was able to still see him, one of the powers of the Veela that had aided the older Malfoy more than once when he had found himself in a tricky situation. He had been very happy to find out that Draco possessed the ability as well, since it would help keep both him and his mate safe. Not everyone was going to be thrilled with Draco's Veela status, and depending on who his mate was, there could be real danger for the two in the near future, especially before they had bonded.

Then there was the girl, Pansy Parkinson, Lucius was still livid with Narcissa for encouraging the girl, promising Draco to her. He would _not_ allow what happened to him to happen to his son. He would rather kill the girl than allow her to bound to Draco. The boy did not deserve such a fate.

Draco was unaware of his father's darkening thoughts. Finally, he was being allowed do hunt for his mate! The scent was driving him absolutely, positively, up the wall, crazy. Not losing any time, Draco walked by the Hufflepuffs, quietly sniffing the air. As he had suspected, none of them were calling to him. _Thank Salazar and his snakes,_ Draco thought, moving swiftly towards the Ravenclaw table. He was pretty sure he would have all but died if his mate had been a Hufflepuff. Lucius' cousin might be happy being married to one, but Draco had so far yet to meet one he actually liked, aside from Mercury's wife, who didn't really count since she was more Ravenclaw than Hufflepuff.

His trek around the Ravenclaws took a bit longer, the scent was stronger here, but it was soon evident that it was none of them either that was calling him. Reluctantly, Draco turned towards the Gryffindor table, not particularly happy by this revelation. _Swell! _he thought darkly,_ it_ had _to be a Gryffindork. Why me? Salazar, Father is going to kill me. Then again, oh Circe, the power this one possesses._

As if in a dream, Draco found himself moving forward, not having made a conscious decision to move. As he got closer to the last table, all his senses were assaulted, and he felt as if he had been sucker punched. The emotions that washed over him were so powerful that he almost staggered. His mate was so tired, and in so much pain. Not to mention annoyed.

Draco closed his eyes, fighting to stop his feeling from overwhelming him. It did put a damper on his urge to claim what was his, which he supposed was a good thing. Instead, he was overcome with another emotion, that of protection. All he wanted was to go up to his mate, sweep him up into his arms and take him away from everything that was hurting him. He had never felt anything like this in his entire life, and for the first time ever, Draco faltered, not sure what to do.

Re-opening his eyes, his gaze landed on and locked with Harry Potter's. As soon as their eyes met, Draco _knew_ who his mate was. The Veela found himself frozen to the spot, unable to either move or look away, not that he particularly wanted to do the latter. Then he realised that Potter was looking right at him. Not through him but squarely in the eyes, and Draco felt his eyes widen in alarm. How was that even possible? He was invisible, for Salazar's sake! No one but another Veela should be able to see him, and, whatever Potter was, he was not a Veela. What was going on here?

With almost morbid fascination, Draco watched as Potter opened his mouth as if he was about to address him. Then he closed it again and, shrugging slightly, he turned away and refocused on his breakfast. Picking up his teacup, a look of annoyance flashed across his face when Granger, the stuck up know-it-all began berating him for something or other. It took all of Draco's willpower not to attack her there and then for hurting his mate.

Knowing that there was nothing he could do at the moment, Draco turned away with some difficulty and made it back to where his father was sitting. As he drew near, Lucius elegantly rose to his feet, and leading the way, the two of them left the Great Hall together. Once they were secure in an empty classroom, Draco allowed his invisibility to melt away, sagging against one of the desks. He felt strangely drained, and he was panting as if he had run from a herd of rampaging Hippogriffs.

"I take it you have found your mate"? Lucius asked once he had put up several strong privacy wards. In no way did he want this conversation to be spied upon. Moving to stand next to his son, Lucius wrapped his arms around him, lending him his support. "Son?" he nudged gently, when Draco was just standing there within his arms, "are you alright?"

"I am, but I'm not so sure about my mate," Draco finally said, his voice slightly muffled by his father's shoulder.

Lucius' eyebrow arched an inch. "I see. I am afraid your words are as clear as mud, my Dragon. Shall we start with the more important information first? As in: who is your mate?"

Draco blushed slightly, and taking a small step back, he looked up at his father. "Harry Potter," he said simply.

Lucius merely nodded his head; the revelation hadn't been _that_ unexpected, especially when the scent had led Draco to the Gryffindor table. "Hmm, not a bad choice. He is strong, and powerful, and he is quite easy on the eyes," Lucius mused, thinking the situation through, ignoring the slight growl coming from Draco.

"Too bad he is so firmly under Dumbledore's thumb. It can't be helped I suppose... Very well, we will do what we can to support him; after all, he is family now. Come, my Dragon, let us see that bumbling fool of a Headmaster. The sooner he is informed, the sooner the two of you will be together.

"And Draco? Know that I do not care who your mate is, as long as they make you happy," Lucius added, giving Draco a swift hug before letting him go.

Draco smiled up at his father, feeling ridiculously prideful and happy this man was his father. Lucius had always been there, no matter what. To know that he was supporting him still, even though it was 'Harry bloody Potter' who was his mate, meant a lot to Draco, especially after the summer the two of them had shared.

"Thank you, Father, I promise that I will not let you down," he said softly, gratitude shining from his silvery eyes. Then his thoughts returned to his mate, and Draco couldn't help but wonder what was going on. He wasn't supposed to feel his mate's emotions this clearly, that only came after the bonding, and then only once the two had grown comfortable with each other. To Draco's knowledge, the situation he found himself in was unheard of. Then he snorted. This was Harry Potter; common laws of magic somehow never seemed to apply to him. Why would this be any different?

Deep in though, the two Malfoys made their way to the Headmaster's office, there was a lot of things that needed to be discussed, it was too bad that they couldn't avoid getting Dumbledore involved.

HPDM

"Ah, Draco, Lucius. Come in and have a seat. Lemon drop?" Dumbledore asked, his eyes twinkling. He had of course been informed that Draco had come into his inheritance last June and he was eager to find out who the boy's mate was. If he was fortunate he would end up with the two Malfoys fighting on his side in this war. Draco would never do anything to hurt his mate and Lucius would never do anything to hurt his son. Mentally he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"I take it young Draco has located his Mate?" he asked, playing on his grandfather persona as much as he dared. Magical creatures were so much more difficult to manipulate than humans were.

"Yes," Lucius said regally, knowing fully well what the old schemer was thinking and disliking it immensely. There wasn't much he could do about it though but play along. At least for the moment.

"Excellent! And may I ask who the fortunate youth is?"

"Harry Potter," Draco stated, no less regally than his father.

Behind his desk Albus Dumbledore felt his control slip, and it was all he could do not to crow in delight. Harry was Draco's mate? This was _wonderful_ news. Harry and Draco, why the Malfoys would fall over themselves to please him now, since that would please Harry, and what Harry wanted, Harry got. He _knew_ he had made the right decision keeping the boy humble and beholden to him. This revelation could very well change the entire war.

Remembering the Malfoys, Albus swiftly schooled his face to something a little less triumphant. Smiling benevolently, allowing his eyes to twinkle full force, he said, "This is _wonderful_. Congratulations, young Draco, I am sure both you and Harry will be very happy together. Allow me to summon Minerva and have her bring Harry here immediately. The sooner the two of you start to bond, the better. You will both be excused from class, of course, and I believe the suite of rooms your father requested is ready and waiting for you."

While he talked Dumbledore swiftly penned a short note; summoning one of the house-elves he requested it to deliver the message to McGonagall and to inform Severus that he too was needed at the Headmaster's office. With luck, neither of the professors had left the Great Hall yet.

Leaning back into his chair, the aged wizard fell silent, not bothering to try and chat with his guests. At this stage, there wasn't much point in talking with them anyway. Draco was too distracted by his mate, and Lucius... well, Lucius would need some time to come to grips with his need to change alliances.

Instead, Albus happily lost himself in glorious daydreams of the future. With Harry at his side, and with the Malfoys backing Harry, why, the war was as good as won! _Harry Potter, eh? _he thought to himself. _Who would have thought he and young Draco were destined for each other? This is simply splendid. I couldn't have planned it better myself. This will be so much better than have Harry marry the Weasley girl. The Weasleys are a loyal family, although there has been some discord of late... no matter, I will just have to straighten things out with Molly later. There is no hurry._

_But back to Harry... he is a strong boy, and he is so firmly grounded in the Light that there is no __way__ the Malfoys will be able to sway him to see face to face with Tom. If nothing else, their past history will see to that. How fortunate that I managed to get Harry involved with that stone business in first year, it put him right on the top of Riddle's hate list. Yes, I knew involving Harry could only be a good thing._

_And to think, with Lucius backing me, I might finally find out just what Voldemort is plotting. Severus has turned out to be woefully ignorant on that point. Silly boy, he never did manage to get back in Voldemort's good grace. Maybe now I won't have to depend on him so much. If I play my cards carefully it shouldn't be difficult to talk the older Malfoy, and perhaps even the younger one too, to spy on Tom for me. They should be willing to do just about anything to keep Harry happy and safe. By Merlin, it wouldn't surprise me if they both volunteered for that service, practically begging me to allow them to help,_ Dumbledore thought smugly

In their chairs, the Malfoys were unaware of the plots the Headmaster was weaving around them. Draco was thrumming with impatience to be near his mate again, and Lucius was plotting strategies to ensure that Potter gave his son a chance and did not refuse him on the spot.

The silence remained until there was a knock on the door, heralding the arrival of three people. "Come in," Albus called cheerfully, almost blinding the three newcomers with his twinkle. "Ah, Minerva, Severus, Harry, I am so glad you could come. Sit down, lemon drop?"

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**Next Time:**  
Harry's thought about being Draco's mate  
Until Then...


	2. A most wonderful thing has happened

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, his friends, or his enemies.

This story will be a slash story in time. However, they will not jump in bed immediately, since this story is just as much, if not more, about personal development and growth. Nagging me about hurrying things up will be pointless, sorry. Hopefully, you will find the wait worth the time, grin.

This is an AU, which begins at the start of Harry's sixth year. There will probably be spoilers from all of the first five books, but none from book six, since in my universe, HBP doesn't exist.

**A/N:** This chapter has been re-written since it needed a major overhaul.

Thank you Lia, for doing the Beta-reading.

* * *

**_A most wonderful thing has happened today, Harry_**

_**Monday, Sept 2**_

Harry Potter was not having a good day. He was tired and cranky due to not having gotten much sleep the previous night. On top of that his friends were really bugging the hell out of him and for no good reason at all. Considering the summer he had had, you'd thought he'd get some slack, but oh, no, he was the blasted Boy Who Lived, who cared if he was happy or not, as long as he was around to do his 'duty'.

Snorting with contempt, Harry looked out over the hall, trying to distract himself from his dark mood. He really couldn't afford to lose his temper at the moment, and the way Hermione was harping on him, when she wasn't scolding Ron for his eating habits, it was all he could do not to blow up at her. Merlin and his beard, but when had Hermione turned into a nagging, scolding, not to mention disapproving, mother? The way she was treating them you'd think they were three years old. Glancing at the witch, Harry found himself pitying any children Hermione might ever have; he had a feeling that they would not have an easy childhood.

Not wanting to go there, Harry swiftly turned his attention elsewhere. A movement caught his eye, and Harry watched with amusement, and some curiosity, as Draco Malfoy, the bane of his existence, strolled up and down the tables in the Great Hall. Intrigued, he watched as the blond moved past the Hufflepuff table. Was that a look of relief on his face? What in the world was the other boy up to?

A swift glance to the sides told Harry that neither of his friends had spotted Malfoy's odd behaviour yet, which was a bit strange, especially considering how closely Ron usually kept tabs on Malfoy. Shrugging his shoulders, Harry went back to watch as the blond more slowly made his way up and down the Ravenclaw table. It almost looked as if he were looking for something, but what?

Harry all but forgot about his bad mood, too intrigued by this new mystery. Then Malfoy turned towards the Gryffindor table. Bracing himself, Harry waited for the disparaging comments that always flew through the air when the two of them got near each other. But, as their eyes locked, Harry felt a strange feeling in his chest, and he was startled by the look of longing and yearning in warm silvery eyes, and Harry found himself wishing he could ease the pain he saw in them.

That thought brought him up short. Since when did he care about Draco bloody Malfoy? Opening his mouth, Harry was about to demand to know what was going on, but something held him back. He wasn't sure what was going on, but somehow he just knew that this was not the place, nor the time, to demand answers.

Deciding to go with his instincts, after all, they seldom led him astray, Harry shrugged, closed his mouth and turned away from Malfoy, picking up his tea cup in an attempt to distract himself from the other boy.

"Harry! Are you even listening to me? We really need to buckle down and start studying early this year. No more slacking off and _absolutely_ no more 'adventures'. It is _vital_ that we put all our energy and efforts on our school work; the N.E.W.T.s is only a year away and there is a _lot_ of material to learn and review before then."

Biting back a sigh, Harry couldn't keep a flash of annoyance from appearing on his face. He bloody well _knew_ how important the N.E.W.T.s was. He bloody well _knew_ how little time there was left; Hermione had after all only been harping about them since their third year. But, _bloody hell,_ they hadn't even gotten their schedules yet.

Absentmindedly, Harry watched as Draco turned around and left the hall, wishing he could do the same. Instead he sighed and mumbled, "Yes, Hermione, I know," knowing from experience that it didn't pay to ignore her when she acted like this, since that would only prolong the lectures, giving her more things to lecture him about.

When McGonagall started to hand out their schedules, Harry could have kissed her, since that very nicely derailed Hermione from her obsession with their N.E.W.T.s, redirecting her attention to the classes they would be having that day.

Glancing up, Harry was surprised to see a house-elf pop in next to McGonagall, giving her a note. Something important must have happened, and Harry couldn't help but wonder what was going on now. He got a bad feeling when his Head of House looked up from reading the message and stared right at him. Coming towards him, she gestured for him to come with her, saying, "Mr. Potter, the Headmaster wishes to speak with you."

_I knew it! The semester hasn't even begun yet, and already the old coot wants to see me. Great, just bloody great,_ Harry thought moodily, but he obediently climbed to his feet and followed the professor as she marched down the corridors towards the Headmaster's office.

Harry's heart sank even further when Snape joined them outside the gargoyle. Whatever Dumbledore wanted, it was big, and Harry couldn't help but wonder if he should turn tail and start running. He didn't want to be a part of this, whatever 'this' was. All he wanted was some peace and quiet. Was that really too much to ask for?

Biting back a sigh, Harry nevertheless followed his professors up the escalator, knowing that there was no point in running. He had nowhere else to go, anyway. Might as well get the meeting over and done with. It wasn't as if he had much of a choice. As if he had _ever_ had any choice.

Doing his best to school his face into a blank mask, Harry watched as McGonagall knocked briskly on the door before entering. Seeing the way Dumbledore's face lit up when he saw him, Harry just knew that he was doomed.

"Ah, Minerva, Severus, Harry, I am so glad you could come. Sit down, lemon drop?"

"No thank you, sir," Harry mumbled, taking a seat between McGonagall and Malfoy senior. Snape didn't bother to take a seat at all; he merely walked over to lean against a wall, a dark scowl on his face. _Why do I have the feeling I will live to regret this?_ Harry wondered, doing his best to suppress a shudder. Nope, this did not look good for him, not good at all.

"Albus, if you could please tell us what this is about? Classes will start soon, as I am sure you are well aware," McGonagall prodded when it seemed that Dumbledore was lost in thought and in no hurry to start the meeting.

"Ah, yes, my apologies, but you see, a most wondrous thing has happened today," Dumbledore said, looking straight at Harry.

Harry sagged slightly in his seat, fighting the urge to bang his head against something hard. He knew it!

"Congratulations," Harry said dully, feeling that some sort of response was expected of him, but he'd be damned if he showed any enthusiasm about it, especially since he still didn't have a clue to what was going on. And to think that the old coot had promised him to be on the level with him from now on. _I guess that shows how much the old man's promises are worth,_ Harry thought with a sneer, keeping his gaze on Dumbledore's left shoulder. No way in hell was he going to allow the Headmaster free reign to his mind, but he wasn't about to appear to be cowed by him either.

"Yes, yes, congratulations indeed," Dumbledore said happily, totally unaware of Harry's dark thoughts. "You see, young Mr Malfoy here is part Veela, as you might already have heard, and he has just found his mate," Albus went on, beaming with happiness.

Slowly, Harry turned his head and looked over at Malfoy, who was sitting next to his father and looking at Harry with that strange mix of longing and yearning in his eyes that Harry had seen in the Great Hall, only hope was added this time, and Harry had a sinking feeling he knew just who the blond's mate was.

Letting his eyes close and his head drop, Harry took a deep breath, trying to sort out what exactly he was feeling. _Wonderful! The Fates_ _really_ _enjoy kicking me in the teeth, don't they? _he thought resentfully, not exactly thrilled by this revelation. But then his mind kicked in, eagerly telling him of all the benefits and possibilities that would open up to him if he got the Malfoys on his side. If nothing else, they should be strong enough to tell Dumbledore to go fly a kite.

_Hmm, maybe, just maybe, I could turn this mess into something positive? The Malfoys aren't exactly fond of Dumbledore either. It all depends on how strong their ties with old Voldie are, I suppose. Surely, there can't be much love between them still? Wait, what if this is just a way to get their hands on me so that they can deliver me to their master? _

_But no, the look in Malfoy's eyes... That wasn't faked. Salazar and the Founders, I really am his mate!_ Harry realised with startling clarity. _But... we hate each other! Then again, hate is a very strong word, isn't it? Dislike is more accurate, really. After all, he has been acting like a real prat ever since I first met him._

_Yeah, but we were eleven then. I have grown up a lot since that day; surely he has too? Would it really hurt to give him a chance? What do I have to lose?_

_It will piss off Ron and Hermione, earning me endless lectures no doubt. But aren't they already forever scolding me? Clearly showing their disapproval of me? _

_Oh, Sirius, how I wish you were here, I could __really__ use some advice right about now. Then again, you probably would only rant about Slytherins and what evil gits they are,_ Harry thought morosely, knowing all too well his godfather's blind spots.

Glancing back at Malfoy, feeling that weird feeling in his chest once more, Harry made up his mind. He would give the Malfoys a chance to tell him what it was they wanted from him. After all, everyone else wanted something from him, so why shouldn't they? Taking a deep breath, Harry raised his head a little and focused on the edge of the desktop. "So, what happens now?" he asked dully, knowing that everyone was expecting a rant or a tantrum from him. Well, he was not about to oblige them.

"Draco and you will be moved to your own rooms, which we have already prepared for you," Dumbledore replied with a kind smile, and a merry twinkle. "You will of course have separate bedrooms for now, and you will also share all your classes. As you know, Draco will not be able to be separated from you until the bond has formed. Do not worry, my boy, it will all turn out for the best," Dumbledore said with his best grandfatherly smile. Harry never saw it as he was still focusing on the desktop.

"Shall we? I am sure you are eager to see your new home," Dumbledore continued, a bit miffed that his efforts were going to waste, and not at all happy by the way Harry was ignoring him.

"Yes, sir," Harry said obediently, scrambling to get to his feet when everyone else got up from their seats.

Albus frowned, displeased, didn't the boy realise what an opportunity the Light had been given? Why, this development would practically cripple Tom, what with losing his right hand man. And if they were truly fortunate Riddle would never recover from this blow. Not many had the resources and influence the senior Malfoy held, despite his current, somewhat, tarnished reputation, and there was no one who could readily step in and fill Lucius' shoes if he deserted Voldemort.

Observing Harry, Albus' frown deepened. By the blank look on Harry's face the boy really didn't realise what a glorious opportunity this was. _Ah, the boy is still young, I suppose, but I truly had thought he would be more aware of the war by now. On the other hand I suppose I shouldn't complain. If Harry got it into his head to do things his own way... Why, I shudder to think of the mess he would make of things. No, better he leave all the thinking and plotting to me, and merely focus the duties I place upon him. Yes, yes, but he still needs to understand that he __must make sure to win over the Malfoys. We simply cannot allow such an opportunity to slip through our fingers._

"Harry, my boy, before you leave, may I have a quick word?" Albus asked, making it sound more or less like a command. The sooner Harry got with the program, the faster Dumbledore would have his spies.

Lucius glanced over at the Headmaster, wondering what mad plots he was scheming now. Things had gone well so far, far smother than he had expected to tell the truth. Potter hadn't thrown a tantrum, and, better yet, he hadn't refused the Veela's claim outright. Maybe there was still hope for them after all.

Giving Dumbledore a gimlet eye, Lucius considered demanding being present, but then he changed his mind. He didn't think the aged wizard would do anything to jeopardise the bond between Potter and Draco, besides, his relationship with the boy was tentative at best, better not do anything that might rock the boat.

McGonagall didn't look happy either about the Headmaster's request, but she knew better than to protest, and so she just shook her head and left the office, waiting for the others to join her.

Severus was the last one to leave. He too knew Dumbledore all too well, and he found himself worrying about what he wanted to talk to the brat about. Though he had a feeling he could guess.

When he had first heard that Potter was Draco's mate, he had hung his head, biting back a groan. He _really_ wished Lucius had given him a heads up on that development. Then again, there really hadn't been time to do so, and considering Draco's strong reactions, the sooner the two were together, the better for everyone concerned.

Still... Did it _have_ to be Harry bloody Potter? The very bane of his existence? The two boys _loathed_ each other for Salazar's sake! Severus shook his head in dismay, knowing that all they could do was grit their teeth and hope they all survived the upcoming weeks. Things were about to become very interesting at Hogwarts, _very_ interesting. And Dumbledore actually thought he would be able to manipulate this lot to do his bidding?

Suddenly feeling a whole lot more cheerful, Severus gave his employer a warning look, before joining the others in the corridor. Knowing just how headstrong his godson was, Severus had a feeling things were about to turn out far differently than Albus thought they would.

There was also the added bonus that if Albus was stupid enough to do something that set back the bonding between Potter and Draco, then Lucius would be both willing and able to tear a few strips of Dumbledore's hide, and Severus would get a first seat row to the show. Perhaps there was some merit to the saying about dark clouds and silver linings.

Unaware of his Potions master's thoughts, Albus watched as Severus left the office, leaving him alone with Harry. Focusing solely on the boy, he started speaking, keeping his tone light, yet allowing a small amount of his disappointment to show through.

"Harry, I don't think you realise what an excellent opportunity this is," he began, reaching out to clasp the boy's shoulder in a grandfatherly manner, frowning in annoyance when Harry smoothly stepped out of reach and walked over to Fawkes' perch. Crooning softly, Harry began to pet the Phoenix, who eagerly shifted closer to give the teen better access, trilling happily at the ministrations, his song lifting everyone's spirits.

"Harry, child..."

Harry bristled but continued with his petting.

Albus gamely forged on, determined to reach Harry and make him see reason. "This might seem like the end of the world to you, I realise that. After all, the record between you and young Malfoy is not the best, to say the least," Albus said with a small chuckle, doing his best to sound optimistic yet understanding. "However, you have nothing to fear. As a Veela, Draco is unable to harm you, and by that I mean both physically and emotionally. I am told that a Veela's love is the most pure love there is, and for you to have been granted this privilege, why... it is a gift most people can only dream of receiving. I know just about everyone at this school would be only too happy to trade places with you, Harry, you should feel very proud for being deemed worthy of Draco Malfoy.

_Yeah, sure I should feel proud. It isn't every day that you are being encouraged to sell yourself for the good of an entire world, it is __such__ a privilege, isn't it, old man? And I'm sure it will work out for the best in the end. The question is, best for whom? Don't think I don't realise that the only reason you are so happy about this is because you're hoping to gain a spy or two. I __know__ that you couldn't care less about me and my happiness,_ Harry thought bitterly, biting back a strong urge to tell the Headmaster just what he thought of him and his manipulative ways. Feeling his control starting to slip, Harry did his best to blank his mind, keeping his focus on Fawkes and his soothing song.

Faced with such lack of response Albus began to get a mite irritated with the boy. This was _not _the time for being stubborn and pigheaded. Doing his best to push the irritation to the side, he was not about to endure another tantrum from the boy, Albus forged on.

"There is another reason to rejoice, Harry," he said, deciding to point out the benefits for the youth since he seemed too immature to spot them himself. "With you being Draco's mate, there is no way he can join Voldemort now. In addition, since Lucius is not about to do anything that will harm his son, he will no longer be able to work actively for Tom, which means that Voldemort is about to lose his right hand man. Don't you see, Harry? We have gained two important allies today; I want you to keep that in mind as you decide what to do next."

Fawkes gave off an indignant note, and flapped his wings in annoyance, but Albus paid him no mind. The Phoenix was a creature of Light and as such did not understand that sometimes sacrifices needed to be made.

Slowly Harry turned around and gave the Headmaster a dark look. He couldn't believe that Dumbledore had the gall to practically order him to pimp himself for the good of the war. "Let the news be spread, the wicked witch of the west is dead," he said sardonically, knowing that if he gave into his urge to shout at the old man, he would completely lose control of not only his temper but his magic as well.

"Only this time there was no need for a whole house, was there, _sir_? All you needed was a _bed_," Harry spat, wanting Dumbledore to know that Harry knew perfectly well what the Headmaster was encouraging him to do.

Having heard all he could stomach, Harry marched across the office and yanked the door open. Glancing over his shoulder he couldn't resist a parting shot. "Don't worry, Professor, I will do my duty for the war, don't I always? Who cares about personal costs, as long as it gets the job done, right, sir? "

Feeling a small satisfaction at the stunned look on Dumbledore's face, Harry slammed the door shut behind him. If he stayed one moment longer he would completely lose it, blasting the old man a new asshole right between his twinkling eyes. Maybe then the whole world would realise what type of man they were following so blindly.

Stepping past the gargoyle, Harry came to an abrupt stop when he almost ran into Malfoy Jr, who was impatiently waiting for him to appear, pacing back and forth before the stone statue. Glancing around the corridor, Harry wasn't surprised to see that everyone had been waiting for him to appear. "Shall we?" he asked, managing a strained smile. Draco might be the reason why he was in a foul mood, but, for once, the blond hadn't done anything to cause his bad temper. And he didn't deserve to be made a target for it, even if it would make Harry feel better if he could vent his ire on the other boy. In the end, it would only make things even more difficult and complicated, so he bit back the harsh words wanting to erupt.

"Let's," Severus stated dryly, stalking off down the corridor. Apparently Albus had managed to put his foot in it, if the black cloud hanging over Potter's head was any indication. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all. Then again, it wasn't as if he had anything to say to the matter. None of them did. Severus could only pray that Potter didn't turn out to be another Narcissa. Merlin help them all if that were the case.

* * *

**Next Time:  
**Harry inspects his new rooms  
Until Then...


	3. These will be your rooms

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter nor his friends nor his enemies.

* * *

**_These will be your rooms _**

**_Monday, Sept 2_**

The group walked silently together, each lost in their own thoughts. Eventually, they reached a part of the castle that was abandoned these days since the school no longer housed married couples and their families.

Snape, stalking in his normal fashion, came to an abrupt halt before a portrait of a young knight posing over a dead dragon, his armour shining in the sun. Making a face of distaste, Severus snapped out, "Love is like a red, red, rose," looking as if he had unexpectedly swallowed a handful of Dumbledore's lemon drops.

Harry bit back a giggle, doing his best to school his face into a blank mask when Snape turned his head and glared at him, as if _he_ was the one who had forced the Potions master to utter such a sappy phrase.

"It truly is," the knight exclaimed happily, removing his helmet and mopping his brow. "Why, just the other day I was telling the lovely Violet that very same thing, and she-"

"Yes, yes, now open the blasted door! Isn't that your duty? Or are you incapable of doing even that simple task?" Snape ground out, interrupting what promised to be a long story. His black eyes were shooting daggers at the knight, who huffed and allowed his painting to swing open, revealing the doorway he had been guarding.

Clasping a hand before his mouth, Harry realised with horror that even the act of biting his cheek wasn't enough to prevent himself from laughing, and he desperately turned his giggles into a fake cough. This turned into a real cough as he choked on his giggles. Merlin, but who ever had chosen that portrait to guard their room had not taken Snape into consideration. Vaguely wondering if it was possible to murder a painting, Harry followed the others inside, doing his best to catch his breath.

Severus gave him a gimlet eye, obviously suspecting what was going through Harry's mind, and the black haired teen swiftly shifted his eyes away from the onyx ones that were promising him pain and retributions if the Potions master's suspicions were proven true.

Taking a few steps to the side, under the pretext of taking in the living room, Harry finally managed to get his breathing back under control. _That was a bit too close. At least he hasn't taken any points yet. Then again, with McGonagall standing right next to me... Not that that has stopped him in the past, the greasy git!_

_Hmm, I wonder if Snape made that face at the knight or at the password. Both are hideous. I bet that knight was a Gryffindor. I wonder what happened to him? Maybe I will ask him one day. _Harry mused absentmindedly, shaking his head at the truly horrible décor of the room. _I can only hope that the rest of the rooms aren't as hideous as this one. No way in hell will I be able to relax and enjoy myself in here. I wonder if Malfoy can change things around a bit?_

_And speaking of change, that password _has _got to be replaced at earliest opportunity. I mean, could they get any sappier?_ _Or is it Dumbledore's way of trying to give me a hint or two? Then again, the way he was practically ordering me to jump into Malfoy's bed... _

Feeling a stirring in the air, Harry figured that now was not the time to consider the Headmaster and his plots. He would do that later, in private, when he had far less prying eyes watching his every move.

Returning his focus on his surroundings, Harry sighed and spoke up for the first time since leaving the Headmaster's office. "I trust Malfoy and I will be able to change things around in here? I mean, who ever did the decorating in here tried _way_ too hard to unite the four houses." Harry made a sweeping gesture with his arm, taking in the orange coloured furniture, the green coloured textiles of the tapestries decorating the walls. The throw pillows on the sofa and the armchairs were blue, and the rug on the floor was a vibrant red, making Harry feel as if he was standing on a fire.

_And with Malfoy here_,_ I bet he can put up a ward to make sure the Headmaster can't pop in whenever he likes. Hmm, maybe bonding with Malfoy will have some benefits after all. Now, if he only wasn't such a spoilt brat this disaster might be less disastrous than I thought. _Feeling immensely cheered up, Harry began to wander around to better take in his new home.

"Oh my," Minerva murmured before gathering herself with a small shake of her head. "This is obviously the sitting area. Over there, Harry dear, is your room. It is warded so Mr. Malfoy can't enter it unless you specifically invite him to do so. It is for your own protection, as a Veela can sometimes get... intense in their courtship."

Harry snorted while Draco looked highly insulted.

"Your rooms, Mr. Malfoy, are up those stairs. Both rooms have their own private bathroom, which should make it easy for you to get ready in the morning. You will be excused from classes for the next three days, of course, since you need the solitude to start the bonding process." McGonagall looked over at Harry, the frown on her forehead implying that she was worried.

"Harry, I am not sure how much you know about Veela since, admittedly, our Defence professors have been somewhat... lacking these past few years," McGonagall said carefully, ignoring the snort coming from Snape. "I advice you to find out as much as possible so that unnecessary strain on your relationship can be avoided. I am positive that Miss Granger will be only too happy to help you with that. As will Mr. Malfoy, I'm sure," McGonagall added, giving Draco a small, somewhat insincere smile. It was clear that she figured that Draco would lie to his mate just to get his own way.

Draco bristled but refrained from saying anything. The hand his father placed on his arm did a lot to help still his tongue. Harry frowned, glancing between Malfoy and McGonagall. He really did lack knowledge about Veela. What little he did know he had learned during his fourth year when Hermione had lectured him and Ron on them after seeing the magical creatures at the World Cup. She had expanded the lecturing when Fleur Delacour had descended on the school, causing Ron to behave in a most embarrassing manner by constantly drooling whenever the girl got near, much to Hermione's disgust.

However, this was different. First of all, Draco was obviously a male, not a female. And second, Harry was Draco's mate, and as such he really needed to find out as much as possible about what to expect.

Suddenly Harry realised that his Head of House was speaking again, and he swiftly turned his attention from Malfoy and onto McGonagall, hoping that no one had noted his lack of attention.

"You will need to discuss your schedule while in seclusion. I am aware that the two of you have several classes the other did not select when you signed the list of available subjects. Since this concerns your future, I expect you to make the necessary adjustments. Please consider carefully, this offer will not be made again," McGonagall said, giving the two teens a stern look, causing Draco to bristle once more and Harry felt his own temper begin to stir. Merlin, did they _have _to treat him like an errant five-year old?

"You are also expected to eat at least two meals every day in the Great Hall. As your teachers, we are aware of the fact that the student body probably will put a strain on your bond. However, we are positive that if you use your alone time wisely that strain can be minimized, allowing you to function normally when dealing with your friends and year mates. If you have any questions, please come and see me or Severus." McGonagall gave Draco a stern look, which softened when it fell on Harry to almost become motherly. With a sharp nod to the older Malfoy she left them to settle in.

Harry looked slowly around the sitting area once more before walking over to his room. Flinging the door open, he shuddered at the sight meeting him. The bedroom was more Gryffindorish than the Gryffindor common room, a feat he thought impossible. Looking over his shoulder, he addressed the only professor left. "Sir, is it possible to change the... décor of this place?"

"Yes, it is. You are able to do just about anything within these rooms," Snape replied, curious about the revulsion he had seen on the boy's face. Maybe there was hope for Draco after all.

"Good. Professor, Mr. Malfoy, Draco, why don't the three of you change the colour schemes to something more tasteful? There is no need to use red or gold on my account, although there is no need to go overboard with the green and silver either," Harry added with a small grin to show that he was teasing.

"And please, could someone do something about the hideous colour-scheme in there?" Harry asked, indicating his bedroom with a jerk of his head. "I don't know who did the decorating in there, but they have had to be even more colour-blind than Dumbledore is; something I didn't think possible. Then again, considering what a hash they did with the living room, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised." Harry fell silent for a moment, once again wondering if it was possible for Dumbledore to Apparate inside Hogwarts. That _would_ explain how he always managed to appear at just the right moment.

Shaking his musing off, he really did not want to think about the Headmaster right now, Harry went back to the business at hand. "Something in blue and cream would be nice, I think," he said, trying to look past the abundance of red and gold to take in what furniture was present in the bedroom.

However, upon seeing the large four poster bed sitting so prominently against one of the walls, all the anger and resentment he harboured against Dumbledore slammed into him, and for a moment Harry feared that he was about to lose all control. Squeezing his eyes shut tightly, the black haired teen focused on his breathing, momentarily blocking everything from his conscious mind.

Once he was certain that he wouldn't blow anything up, Harry re-opened his eyes and started to head towards the door. He needed to get out of here, _now_. Before things were revealed that he had no intention of revealing. Especially not to his present company.

"I will be back shortly, there is something I need to do. Don't worry, I won't be gone for long, Harry said, pausing in the doorway. "By the way, that password has _got_ to go!" he added, knowing that he needed to tell the others _something_.

"Where will you be?" Draco asked, concerned about the things he was picking up in his mate's scent. If he was not mistaken, the other youth was bloody furious. However, the emotions were not directed towards either himself or his father.

For a moment the Veela was puzzled as to who could have angered the other teen so much. Then he knew. Albus Dumbledore. What in the world had the Headmaster said to Potter? For that matter, wasn't the two of them really close? That was the impression Draco had gotten from the past five years. Then again, the previous year had been decidedly... odd.

Harry looked back at the blond. "Don't worry, I'm not running away or anything. I just need to do something. I will be back shortly, and then I think we need to talk. Mr. Malfoy, I hope you have time to remain for a little while?" Harry belatedly asked, looking over at Lucius, suddenly realising that maybe the older Malfoy had pressing business elsewhere.

"Do not worry, Mr. Potter, I will still be here when you return," Lucius said, feeling both curious and perplexed. The Boy Who Lived did not act as he had thought he would when faced with the fact that he was destined to be bonded with his enemy. Clearly, there was more to the boy than met the eye.

"Thank you. Ah, yes. Is there by any chance a way to keep nosy old men out unless they are invited? I would _hate_ to have unwanted guests popping in at odd times, wouldn't you?" Harry asked innocently before finally leaving, the portrait swinging closed behind him.

"I'm going after him," Draco declared, not wanting to let his mate out of his sight. That desire was coupled with the need to see what the other boy was up to. Hurriedly, the Veela climbed through the portal hole just in time to see a door fall close with a bang a bit further down the corridor. Curious as to what in the world Potter needed to do inside an old, abandoned, room, Draco pulled the door opened and found himself facing a wand, its tip glowing eerily.

"Malfoy!" Harry growled in frustration.

"Potter," Draco smirked in reply. "Don't let me disturb you. I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

Harry shrugged and turned away. "I'm not in the mood for one our arguments right now, Malfoy. Please leave."

The soft spoken 'please' almost made Draco leave. However, his concern for his mate's state of mind made it easy to squash his urge to comply with Harry's wishes. "I'm sorry, Harry, but until I know that you are alright, I'm not leaving. What is it you need to do anyway?" Draco asked, looking around the dusty old room, which apparently at one time had been a classroom of some sort.

Harry, realising that he truly didn't have the energy or the control to continue to argue with the blond thorn in his side, shrugged once more. "If you're going to stay, I suggest you put up the strongest shield you know," he said. And with that as an only warning, Harry pointed his wand at an old desk and blasted it with the most powerful _Reducto_ Draco had ever seen.

One by one the old furniture came to a messy end while Harry vented his temper. When there was nothing left to smash, he conjured several tea sets and set about pulverising them in the most imaginative ways he could think of.

More than an hour had passed when Harry finally slumped to the floor, panting and feeling utterly drained. Draco dropped his shield - he had needed it - and hurried to his mate's side to offer support and aid. His human side was impressed by the sheer knowledge and imagination of his intended. Not once had Harry made use of the Dark Arts, and he had rarely used the same spell twice. The Veela in him was ecstatic at the power of his mate and it couldn't wait for the two of them to bond.

Draco hauled Harry to his feet while ruthlessly pushing that desire away. Now was not the time for such thoughts. He was more concerned with finding out what had set his mate off in such a manner. If his suspicions were right and it _was_ Dumbledore who had caused this in some manner, then the old man would learn first hand why it was a very bad idea to mess around with a Veela's mate.

Because that was what Harry was now. He was the mate of one Draco Malfoy, and Draco had every intention of making the entire world aware of that fact. Harry Potter was now his. His to protect. His to cherish. Rue those who hurt Harry in any way, form, or shape. Those who did would feel the full wrath of Draconus Malfoy, any miscreants would find out that there was a reason the Malfoy name was feared by most. Even by the Dark Lord.

Draco smirked, he couldn't wait. He had a feeling that neither the stupid Mudblood nor the Weasel was in Harry's good grace anymore, and Draco would enjoy putting them in their place. Ah, yes. Revenge would be sweet, very sweet indeed.

* * *

**Next Time:  
**Dumbledore has a little talk with Ron and Hermione  
Stay Tuned…


	4. You have to support Harry

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter, JKR does.

This will be a slash story in time. Don't like it? Don't read it.

**A/N:** This chapter has been re-posted. A big thank you to my Beta Vaughn for pointing out all my mistakes.

* * *

**_You have to support Harry in his hour of need_**

**_Monday, Sep 2_**

Dumbledore looked up as the door to his office opened. Breaking out into a welcoming smile, he offered his two guests a lemon drop before popping one into his own mouth.

"Hermione, Ronald, I apologise for making you late for your first class, but I wanted to talk to you," he said, allowing his eyes to twinkle merrily at the two teens.

"Is this about Harry?" Hermione asked eagerly. She hadn't thought much about it when McGonagall had come up to them and said the Headmaster wanted to speak with him. But when Harry hadn't return by the time they were preparing to head for the first class, she had begun to wonder what was going on. She had begun to wonder even more when she had received her own request to come here along with Ron only to find no Harry.

"As a matter of fact, it is. Something wonderful has happened today, and I hope you will be able to support Harry while he gets used to the situation," Albus said with a pleased smile, giving two of his favourite students a grandfatherly look.

"Of course we will support Harry! He's our friend," Ron said hotly, as always rushing in before knowing all the details.

"I'm glad to hear that, Ron. You see, young Mr. Malfoy is a Veela," Albus said, only to be cut off by a happy squeal.

"And Harry is his mate, isn't he?" Hermione asked eagerly, putting two and two together and getting four.

"Harry and Malfoy? What does that little ferret want with Harry?" Ron exclaimed, aghast.

"Oh, hush, Ron. It wasn't as if Malfoy picked him on purpose," Hermione scolded with a frown.

"You are quite correct, Hermione, as always," Dumbledore said with a gentle smile. Hermione beamed with pleasure at the praise. "Malfoy did not, as you put it, pick Harry on purpose. They are soul mates, and once they bond, nothing will be able to break them apart. As you know, a Veela is unable to hurt his or her mate, and they will love and adore them to the day they die."

Hermione got a star struck look in her eyes and sighed softly. She almost wished a Veela would pick her for a mate, from what little she'd read about them, it sounded very romantic. Only not Malfoy. Hermione shuddered. The stuck up, spoilt little prick.

"I know this comes as a shock to everyone, but once a Veela finds its mate, it is for life. Harry is naturally a bit overwhelmed by all this, and I am counting on you two to support and help him accept this bond. As I said, young Malfoy is not able to harm Harry in any way, and will be able to give Harry all the love and affection he sadly has missed out on in life so far," Albus said, adding a sad sigh at the end for additional affect.

Dumbledore was happy and proud to see that Hermione had grasped what he was hinting at. Young Ron looked like he was stuck on the fact that it was Draco Malfoy that Harry was about to be bonded to, and had probably not heard a word he said after that. "Can I count on you two to look past young Malfoy's previous behaviour and stand by your friend?" he asked gravely in an attempt to drive the point home.

"Of course you can, sir." Hermione promised for the two of them. "Where are they going to stay? And what about classes?"

"I have arranged private rooms for them; I'll show you where they are at a later date. They will be excused from class for the next three days, and after that they will attend the same classes. I hope you don't mind sharing your notes for these first few days, Hermione."

"Gladly, Professor, I'll pick up their homework as well," Hermione said happily, pride filling her that the Headmaster was asking _her_ to help Harry, and _of course_ the other teen could use her notes. She refused to allow Harry to fall behind, no matter how important and necessary the circumstances for missing classes were.

"Good. I knew I could count on you. That will be all for now. Here is a note for your teacher," Albus said, handing the note to Hermione.

Hermione nodded her thanks and accepted the note from the aged hand that was holding it out to her. Grabbing Ron's arm, she hurried out of the office and towards the Transfiguration classroom.

"How could you agree just like that?" Ron complained. "That's _Malfoy_, 'Mione. The _Ferret_. The scum of all snakes!"

"I know that, Ron!" Hermione snapped in irritation. "And I'm no happier about that than you are. But you have to remember that this is also about _Harry_. He is still our friend and he needs to know that we will always support him, even if he's had the misfortune to be tied to that snake. I will head for the library after lunch and see what I can find on Veela. Maybe there is some way to lessen the bond."

Ron brightened considerably at this prospect and entered the classroom in good cheer. Hermione always found a way to solve sticky situations. She would help Harry get away from the ferret, she just needed time to do some thorough research first. If he was lucky, he might even get out of helping her, seeing as she was always complaining that she got things done quicker without his 'assistance'.

* * *

**Next Time:**  
Harry asks the Malfoys a few questions about the future and about the war.  
Stay Tuned…


	5. What exactly is it Voldie wants?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter, JKR does.

This will be a slash story in time. Don't like it? Don't read it.

**A/N:** This chapter has been re-posted. A big thank you to my Beta Vaughn helping me with those pesky commas.

* * *

**_What exactly is it Voldie wants? _**

**_Monday, Sep 2_**

Lucius watched bemusedly as Draco followed his mate out of the suite. "That is not what I had expected," he said to Severus and found his long time friend staring at the closed door with a pensive look on his face. "Where do you think he went?"

"Probably to vent that temper of his. It has gotten worse since his precious mutt died. It wouldn't surprise me if there were some Demon blood in that boy, or possibly some Dark Elf. He has their temperament."

Lucius turned that bit of information over in his mind and thought back to the flavour of the scent the boy gave off. "I'd say Dark Elf, he doesn't smell right for it to be Demon. He is temperamental, you say?"

"Oh yes." Severus snorted. "He only stayed with his relatives for four days. We had to retrieve him after he almost blew the place up for the third time. That child has no concept of anger management. Draco will have his hands full with that one. The brat spent the rest of the summer under heavy guards and wards and he still almost demolished everything around him several times. In the end, everyone just left him alone."

"No one taught him control?" Lucius asked, aghast. To let power like that go unchecked... it was unheard of.

"No, Dumbledore told us to give him space and to 'let him grieve'." Severus snorted again. "The old fool."

"Tell me they at least researched his background," Lucius all but implored. "That boy is not fully human, I'll state the Malfoy name on that, and unless we know what we are dealing with, we can't help him deal with and develop his gifts."

"No, no research, no nothing. The boy ended up spending most of his time in the Black library reading Merlin knows what," Severus said with an exasperated sigh. He was not happy with the way Dumbledore had refused to deal with Potter. Letting the boy loose in the Black library? That was just asking for trouble. And considering that this was James Potter's spawn...

"Oh dear," Lucius murmured, fighting down an urge to go and hunt the boys down to make sure they were all right. "I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of my time at Hogwarts this year. Do you think the bumbling fool will let me stay here?"

"Offer to teach Defence and he will welcome you with open arms," Severus shot back with a smirk.

"Don't you have a Defence teacher already?"

"Unfortunately. An ex-Auror who is so old she barely remembers her own name," Severus replied with disdain. "That goes doubly for any counters to even the most common hexes and curses."

Looking around the room, the Potions master stepped up to Potter's bedroom with a sigh. "We might as well do something useful while we wait. I will deal with this mess, why don't you do something about the living room?"

Lucius walked up to his friend and took a good look at the extremely red and gold room. He shuddered. "Who in Merlin's name would do something like this? Dumbledore wouldn't have had the time, and he is the only one I can think of with this garish taste."

"He probably sent that deranged elf that used to plague you. What was his name? Dopy?"

"You know, I must thank the boy for freeing that revolting thing. I never understood what Narcissa saw in him," Lucius said with a small laugh. Life at the Manor had become so much easier after that elf had left them. Of course, his wife had never forgiven Potter for the 'theft'. He would have to talk to her to make sure she did not harm the boy in retaliation. Draco would not take kindly to that, and blood was so difficult to get out of carpets, not to mention tapestries.

Pushing the thoughts aside for later, the blond turned back to the living room and looked around. The place was well below Malfoy standards, and he would be only too happy to rectify the situation. Twirling his cane, he surveyed the room, and decided to start with the walls. Orange, how utterly tacky.

HPDM

By the time Harry and Draco returned, the living room had undergone a complete transformation. The walls were bare stone with a few tasteful tapestries on them. The furniture was made of butter soft black leather and gleaming ebony wood. The drapes and carpet were done in shades of deep green and the pillows adorning the armchairs and couches were done in tones of tarnished silver.

"Much better!" Harry said, sinking into the nearest armchair with a tired sigh. It had been weeks since he'd gotten a good night's sleep, and he was feeling exhausted. His outburst hadn't helped either, and he could feel a migraine forming.

"Thank you," Lucius murmured in amusement.

"What did you do?" Severus demanded, drawing his wand and casting a few diagnostic spells.

"Nothing," Harry answered, closing his eyes with another tired sigh.

"Not much," Draco readily agreed, settling on the floor next to his mate. "Just demolished one of the classrooms, blasting everything in sight into teeny tiny pieces."

"Foolish child," Severus scolded.

Harry mumbled something none of them could make out while scowling darkly. "Is this place private?" he then proceeded to ask.

Draco looked up at him in surprise, having been busy glaring at his godfather.

"I took care of the listening spells when we came in here, Potter," Severus answered scornfully. "I am glad to see that you are finally beginning to use the brain you were born with. It seemed for a while like you were destined to go through life as an imbecile."

"Well, excuse me for being too busy staying alive to concentrate on my classes," Harry snapped.

"That is enough!" Lucius barked before the situation could deteriorate further. "That is not why we are here. You said you wanted to talk, Harry, may I call you Harry? I understand fully that you must have a lot of questions for us, and we will do our best to answer them, _without_ resorting to insults." He gave Severus a stern look.

"Thank you, sir."

"Please, call me Lucius. After all, you are family now."

A wistful smile played at Harry's lips at that statement. He soon became serious though. "My first question is: is it possible for Draco to find another mate?"

"No," Lucius said with conviction, wanting to make it very clear that there was no way out of this bond.

"What happens if I die?"

"He will die as well," Lucius replied levelly.

"I'm sorry, Draco. You should have chosen someone else, the prospects of me reaching an old age are very slim," Harry said sadly, looking down at the boy who was leaning against his knee.

"Don't worry, Harry. We will help you survive this war. There are places you can hide until that madman is defeated," Draco promised, wanting to get that sad look away from his mate's eyes.

"I don't think that will be possible," Harry replied. He was silent for a moment. "Will you promise me that the things discussed here will not be repeated to the Headmaster?" he asked, looking over at Snape.

Lucius leaned forward slightly in his seat, intrigued. What was the boy up to?

"You have my word, Potter," Severus said after a moment of weighing his options. He didn't like the brat much, he never had. However, since Potter now was Draco's mate, he figured it was better to be in the know, rather than trying to run after the idiot child in an attempt to keep him alive and out of danger.

"Thank you, Professor. Lucius, Draco?"

"We promise as well," Lucius said, having exchanged a glance with his son. "There is little love between us and the Headmaster, which is no secret. You are one of us now and we will keep quiet if that is what you wish."

"Thank you," Harry said with sincerity, relaxing into his chair for the first time since he sat down. "As you all know, I lost my godfather at the end of last term. What I don't think many know is that I was taken to the Headmaster's office afterwards, where he gave me a pretty little speech about how much he cared for me and how he had wanted to protect me and give me a chance at having a childhood. He ended that little speech by showing me what that fiasco at the Department of Mysteries had all been about."

"He showed you the prophesy?" Lucius asked, torn between amusement and horror.

Severus shared the blond's feelings. Albus had waited until _then_ to tell the brat? Why not sooner while it still had mattered? And why then? Why that night? Telling Potter then had done nothing but add to his burden, not lighten it, if that was what Albus had wanted. Would Severus ever understand how and what that man was thinking?

"Yes. He then sent me to bed, and a few days later, he sent me 'home'," Harry said, unaware of the thoughts running through his professor's mind. "The Dursleys were not happy to see me, and I was even less thrilled to see them. That little scene at the train station didn't help the situation either, and my uncle threatened me with bodily harm if I didn't behave myself. And, in case you were wondering, that meant me working like a house-elf all day long, on no food, and not complain about it. For the first time ever, I refused. I actually talked back to him, and when he tried to hit me, I retaliated. No, I didn't curse him, I used my feet and fists. That fat oaf never knew what hit him," Harry said smugly.

"But, as it turned out, I didn't have total control of my magic. When I got angry, really angry, it got out of control and things began to blow up. After the third time I almost blew the house apart I was fetched and taken to Sirius' old home. Dumbledore gave me another pretty little speech about how disappointed he was in me and how I needed to control myself better in the future.

"To make a long story short, I ended up spending most of my time in the library. After all, I have a lunatic after me so I need to read up on ways to get rid of him, right? Besides, the only other person interested in that room was Hermione, and as long as I was reading she didn't bug me, much," Harry added, making a face as he remembered the many arguments he had gotten into with his friends.

"Going through the library there were several tomes I found that really caught my interest. One of them was a history book, portraying the wizarding world's history from the founder's time to about 150 years ago. It was a very interesting read.

"Another tome that captured my interest was a book about the Ministry of Magic and its history. It was while I was reading that text that I realised how warped our Ministry of today is, not to mention what an incompetent fool our current Minster is," Harry added with a snort.

"It is the Ministry that has banned the magical beings of this world to the fringes, forcing them to live as outcasts, treating them worse than Muggles, forcing them to hide in the shadows for fear of persecution. Once, Vampires and other 'Dark Creatures' were held in the highest esteem in our society, and it was considered an honour to have one such being married into your family. Now, they are shunned, and laws have been created that ensure that they can hold no position of power whatsoever. Most cannot even find work to feed their families. No wonder they flock to the ones who promise them fair treatment and a better future.

"Anyway, it got me thinking. What exactly is it Voldie wants? He claims he wants to purge the world of everything Muggle, but that is a hopeless dream. There are too many of them for us to manage to kill them all off. And as long as we keep refusing to accept marriages between wizards and 'Dark Creatures', or even Muggleborns, we run the risk of breeding ourselves into extinction; there just isn't enough of us to prevent inbreeding. Not to mention that I have yet to see a master plan," Harry said, making a face of disgust. He really couldn't see what point Voldemort was trying to make.

"From what I've been able to gather, Voldie doesn't _have_ a plan, not any more. He might have had one when he first began, but now he is merely sending his followers to torture and kill Muggles and wizards alike. What does he think he will accomplish with that?" Harry asked the one man he figured could give him an answer to the question that had plagued him all summer.

Lucius sighed and gathered his thoughts. The child had asked a very good question; unfortunately, the answer was not simple. Mostly because there wasn't one. "When the Dark Lord set out the first time, his goal was to purge our world of any Muggle influences, bringing it back to what it once was. He proclaimed himself Lord Voldemort, and to show the Wizarding world his power, he killed off a lot of Muggles. He then turned his attention to those who encourage us to embrace the Muggleborns and their ways, like Dumbledore does. Slowly he built up a reign of terror and he began to focus more and more on those who opposed him, like your parents. We all know how that ended," Lucius said, giving the black haired teen an apologetic look.

"Once he was restored to his body, we, the Inner Circle, figured that he would bring about the changes he had promised us so many years ago. Unfortunately, his years as a disembodied spirit has affected him far more than anyone thought, and he is now insane. He is no longer interested in changing our world; he is obsessed with bloodshed and finding a way to kill you."

"An existence cursed," Harry murmured, staring up at the ceiling.

"I beg your pardon?" Lucius asked, not sure if he had heard the boy correctly.

"That is what Firenze said when he rescued me from the Forbidden Forest first year, when we were serving a detention with Hagrid. Surely you remember, Draco? We were looking for a wounded unicorn." Harry couldn't help but tease the blond.

"Don't remind me!" Draco muttered darkly. "Freakiest and scariest sight I've ever seen."

"When Firenze carried me out of the forest, he said that anyone who had slain a unicorn and had drunk of its blood would have 'Only but a half life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips'*. I guess that could explain Voldie's behaviour since he got back. But why are his followers still with him? Don't they realise he's mad?"

"Most do, with a few exceptions, but where could we go?" Lucius asked patiently. "If we left his service, we would have to go abroad and live in hiding, always in fear of being discovered. We would have to bring our family with us or have them slaughtered as a discouragement for others who might be thinking the same thing. Not to mention that he can torture those of us carrying his mark whenever he feels like it. We are trapped. Our only other alternative is Dumbledore, and most of us became Death Eaters to get away from his manipulations."

"Ah, yes, Dumbledore. The great and almighty Albus Dumbledore. In a way, he is just as bad as Voldie. He is just as blind. He claims he wants what is best for the wizarding world, but he does nothing to interfere, to help those that suffer from the Ministry's injustices. He has done nothing to get us a competent Minister, although he must have had several opportunities to get rid of Fudge over the years.

"Sirius Black and his innocence would have been one instance in which to be able to get an impeachment, but instead he did nothing. He did nothing when that toad Umbridge created all those laws against 'half-breeds', and he did nothing last year when the toad run roughshod all over the school, in spite of the fact that the Ministry had no influence over Hogwarts and never did.

"And then there is me. They call me the Boy-Who-Lived and have placed me on top of a pedestal, safe in their knowledge that I was there for them. But woe is me if I do anything to tarnish the picture they have painted of me. I know you all know my history so I won't bore you with it, but do you know what is really funny? No one asked me what I wanted, what I believed. Everyone was so sure they knew me they never bothered to find out who I really am. Even I didn't know who I was. After all, I had spent the first ten years of my life living like a house-elf, and the last five years being the hero of the Wizarding world.

"So I spent some time thinking this summer, when I wasn't busy reading, and I think I've figured out a few things. One: I have absolutely no wish or desire to become a minion of the Dark Lord. But, two: I have no desire to follow Dumbledore either. I have been his faithful and blind sheep, I have done all he has expected of me, and yet he deserted me when I needed him the most. He, if anyone, has feet of clay and he is not worthy of my devotion. No, I will never follow him again.

"What is left, you might ask, and that is where I got stuck as well. There is no third option, so I decided to create one. There has to be ways to accomplish the changes that are needed without destroying our world. With a competent Minister, a Headmaster who isn't so busy playing god that he is neglecting his school, and a newspaper that actually reports news and not slander, gossips, and propaganda, it shouldn't be impossible. I know I need help, and with your backing, I am sure we could accomplish something grand. What do you think?" Harry asked, looking from one astonished face to another. Well, Draco was the only one showing his surprise. The two older men were too good at hiding their emotions to give anything away; still, there were a few signs, like the widening of their eyes, that betrayed them.

"I think you have given us all a lot to think about. You are not what I expected, Harry Potter," Lucius said thoughtfully.

"I live to surprise," Harry smirked.

"So it would seem. I need to think about what you have proposed. It might be possible, but it will take a lot of work and it will be dangerous."

"Well, considering I apparently have a prophesy proclaiming I'm the one who has to off the current Dark Lord, I don't think a safe life will be something I'll manage anytime in the near future," Harry remarked dryly.

"I suppose not. But remember, prophesies are notoriously difficult to decipher. Most times the outcome is not what everyone had expected."

"I'll keep that in mind. Not that it matters much as long as it is what the leaders in this war believe."

Lucius gave him a long penetrating look. "You are not alone anymore, child. You have the Malfoys helping you now, and you will never again want for anything. Draco, I suggest you take it easy for the rest of the day, and tomorrow I will accompany the two of you to Diagon Alley. Your mate is in need of a few things, like a new wardrobe."

"Yes, Father. What will you be doing?"

"I will talk to Dumbledore about the position as your new DADA teacher."

"What?" two shocked voices rang out at the same time. "Severus?" Draco asked, turning towards the Potions Professor when it became obvious that his father wouldn't elaborate, especially considering that the man had left without a backward glance.

"Both your father and I feel that you two are going to need close supervision, a task I may not be able to uphold on my own. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a class in ten minutes," Severus said with a smirk, leaving the two boys alone.

"I don't believe him!" Draco seethed. "What does he think I am? Five years old?"

"I don't know about you, but I am hungry. Any idea how to call a house-elf?" Harry asked, not bothered by the veiled insults about their ability to take care of themselves.

"Merlin, Potter, don't you know anything? You just snap your fingers," Draco drawled, sounding very much like the spoiled brat Harry was used to.

"Considering I grew up with Muggles and didn't know house-elves existed until Dobby came and paid me a visit, excuse me for my ignorance," Harry mock drawled right back, not taking offence at all. To tell the truth, he was too tried to care. On top of that, he had a vicious headache that was pounding in time with his heartbeat.

Draco gave him a searching look. Harry had no idea what the other boy saw, but he swiftly ordered them some soup and sandwiches. Once the food had been consumed, Harry found himself on the couch, a blanket tucked in around him, and with a stern order to take a nap. He was about to take offence, but he fell asleep before he could tell the blond off.

HPDM

If Dumbledore was surprised to see Lucius Malfoy sail into his office as if he owned it, it was hard to tell. Nothing of what he was thinking showed on his aged face as he merely smiled at his unexpected guest and offered him a lemon drop.

"Ah, Lucius, what can I do for you, dear boy? Is there a problem with the boys' rooms?"

"No, the rooms are fine, after a few changes in the decor. I am, however, somewhat concerned about them. This, after all, will mean big adjustments for both of them, and I wish to be nearby to support them. There is also the question of security. I fear many of the other students will try and separate them," Lucius stated, settling into the hideous red chair with golden suns on it that the headmaster had created for him.

"Your points are all valid, Lucius, and I will keep them in mind when the boys return to their classes. However, I cannot allow you to stay in the castle unless you have a position on the staff. Unfortunately, there are no vacancies at the moment," Dumbledore said, giving Malfoy a shrewd glance. This was excellent. Malfoy was even more eager than he had dared to hope to mend fences with the Boy-Who-Lived.

Lucius raised an eyebrow and was about to tell the old meddler that he had every right to spend how much time he deemed needed in the castle when Dumbledore began talking again.

"There is another option, however. I take it you've heard about the little club Harry started last year?"

"Yes, Draco wrote me about it," Lucius replied offhandedly.

"It was such a success that Harry is going to continue teaching that club this year. Of course, it won't be a secret association this time. We, after all, have a qualified teacher this year," Dumbledore said with a soft chuckle

_Huh. Not according to Severus,_ Lucius smirked to himself.

"But he will need the supervision of an adult to be allowed to run it. Since all the professors have a rather heavy load as it is..."

_Ah, Dumbledore, how utterly Slytherin of you. I will agree to your manipulations_, _if for nothing else to have front row seats when it all blows up in your face. I wonder, does Harry know of this?_

"Of course I will be happy to be of assistance to the boy," Lucius said gravely, noting the glee that sprung into the Headmaster's eyes.

"Excellent! Come with me and we will see if we can find you suitable quarters not too far away from the boys."

* * *

_('Only but a half life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips' - This line was taken from the book _The Philosopher's Stone_, p. 188, and is not mine in any way.)_

**Next Time:  
**Harry and Draco discuss their classes and make an attempt to get to know each other better.  
Stay Tuned…


	6. I Don’t Know If I Can Trust Anyone

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter, JKR does.

This will be a slash story in time. Don't like it? Don't read it.

* * *

**_I don't know if I can trust anyone ever again_**

**_Monday, Sep 2_**

Harry woke slowly to the sound of soft humming. Whoever it was had a beautiful voice and he kept still for a long time with his eyes closed just listening to it. Eventually he had to move and with a sigh of regret he opened his eyes and sat up. As he had feared, the humming immediately stopped.

"How do you feel?" Draco asked, looking up from the sketchpad on his lap.

"You have a beautiful voice, Draco," Harry said, standing up and stretching the kinks out.

There was a moment of silence. "Thank you," Draco replied, both startled and touched at the same time. "So how do you feel?" he asked again, returning to safer grounds.

"Better, I think. I really need the bathroom though, be back in a sec," Harry said, hurrying towards his room.

Once his bladder had been dealt with, he walked back into the bedroom and a genuine smile came to his face. This was much better. The furniture was all done in black and the textiles were in different harmonious shades of blue and green. All in all, _much_ better than the hideous room Harry had seen when first opening the door.

"They did a great job on the rooms, don't you think?" Harry asked, walking back to the living room, settling back on the couch.

"Yes, they did. I take it you like your new room?" Draco asked. He had taken a peek through the open door and was pleased with what Severus had done to it, happy his godfather had forgone any desires for revenge while doing the decorating.

"Yeah, this is _much_ better. I wonder who did it the first time. It can't have been the Headmaster, although the style definitely is something that would match his tastes. Unless he knew from the beginning it would be you and me?" Harry mused.

"Does it matter?" Draco asked, wanting to pull his mate out of his unpleasant thoughts.

"I guess not."

"Don't worry, he can't manipulate you any longer. You are a Malfoy now, and Father automatically is your guardian now that you and I are mates."

Harry's eyebrows rose of their own volition. "Even if we aren't bonded yet?"

"That is only a matter of time, and, in legal matters, only a technicality. We will bond, not today, perhaps not even this year, but it will happen, so yes, the moment I identified it was your scent that was driving me crazy, Father became your guardian," Draco explained, doing his best to get all the details out without spooking his mate.

"Wicked!" Harry smirked, a gleam in his eyes. "I'm going to like being your mate, Draco. Only..." He became serious and looked over to where the other boy was sitting. "I don't want to be cruel or anything, but I don't think I can fully bond with you, not right now, I mean," he hurried to add when Draco's face began to crumble. "Crap! This is coming out all wrong!"

"Calm down, Harry," Draco said, getting up from his armchair and settling beside Harry, wrapping his arms around him. Magic was crackling in the air and a small breeze was blowing around the room. "Take a deep breath, Harry, come on. In, out, that's it. Calm down. I'm not angry. Just take your time and say what you need to tell me. I promise I won't be angry or anything," Draco crooned, praying he would be able to keep his promise.

After several minutes of deep breathing, the wild magic disappeared and the breeze died down. Draco revelled in having his mate resting against him, eyes closed and relaxed. He continued to run his hand up and down Harry's arm and asked softly, "What was it you wanted to tell me?"

Instantly Harry tensed up and tried to pull away.

"No, love, relax. I won't be angry, remember? I promised. Just take your time. If we are going to get to know each other, we need to start talking, don't you think? Not to mention listen. We are strangers to each other, Harry, I know this. I don't know you, and you don't know me. We will take this slow, as slow as you need it to be. Just... please, don't shut me out, let me in. Can you do that?" Draco asked softly, fearing the answer.

"I honestly don't know, Draco. That was what I was trying to tell you. I have been betrayed so many times in my life that I don't know if I can trust anyone ever again. Dumbledore, Ron, Hermione, Sirius, The Order of the Phoenix, the Dursleys. They have all let me down and abandoned me at one time or other. I'm just so damned _tired_.

"...And to find out that you are a Veela and I'm your mate..." Harry trailed off with a tired sigh.

"I don't want to hurt you. I don't even know why I feel like I want to comfort you and take away all your pain, but I do, and I don't know _how_. You really should have picked another mate, Draco, because you got a lousy bargain in me. I'm too fucked up. Not to mention that I've got a maniac after my head."

"Oh, Harry," Draco said sadly. The pain in the other boy's voice was tearing at his heart. He sounded so downtrodden and defeated. Then he got angry. His mate was not supposed to be defeated! He was supposed to be one of the leaders of the wizarding world, not because he carried the title of the Boy-Who-Lived, but because that was his birthright as a Potter. How dare they do this to this kind and gentle soul? But he had the Malfoys behind him now, and no one was ever going to hurt him again. _Never_, Draco vowed fiercely.

"First of all, you are _not_ fucked up! You've had shit happen to you all your life, and most of it has not even been your fault. It has been the fault of the people around you, people like Dumbledore. As for the feelings you are experiencing, I guess something in you is reacting to me being your Veela mate and is... easing the way, I suppose. I'll ask Father, maybe he knows what's going on.

"And I understand if you can't fully commit to me at the moment. That will take some time, love. That is why we are living together, so that we can get to know each other better. From what I have heard, you have had very little love in your life. That is another thing you need to get used to, love and affection. But part of loving someone, Harry, is supporting them, no matter what. We will have good days and we will have bad days. There will be times we will feel like hexing the pants off each other, and there will be times we can't imagine a life without the other person in it. We will work it out as we go along. Don't fret about it, ok?"

There was no verbal reply, but Harry sighed softly and allowed Draco to take on even more of his weight as he snuggled closer to the other boy. A pleased smile played on the blond's lips and he tightened his hold just a bit. Everything would work out, he just knew it would!

HPDM

Harry had no idea how long he'd been sitting curled up against Draco, and to tell the truth, he didn't want to know. But no matter how nice it was, he had things to do, and he reluctantly pulled away.

"Feeling better?"

"I guess so. What classes did you sign up for?"

Draco was momentarily startled by the unexpected question, but answered it anyway. "Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Charms, Defence Against Dark Arts, Potions, Transfiguration, Magical Law, and Healing."

"_Yes_. Draco, I could kiss you!" Harry exclaimed, doing a victory dance around the room.

"I'm not stopping you," the blond stated with a laugh, secretly hoping the other boy would. "What's the matter with you?"

"You, my Veela friend, have just gotten me into Snape's Potions class, and there is nothing he can do about it!" Harry crowed, still jumping around the room.

Draco stared at Harry before collapsing in his seat, howling with laughter. "I take it you didn't get the necessary O.W.L.s then?" he asked once he got his fit under control.

"Nope. I got an O in the practical and an E in the theory part, and thus Snape refused to accept me despite McGonagall pestering him about it. I thought I'd have to learn that subject on my own, but thanks to you I won't have to."

"I'm glad to be of service," Draco chuckled, pleased to see his mate so happy and carefree. This was how he was supposed to be. "You realise that Severus just might kick me out of class to get rid of you? Especially if you can't keep up?"

"I know, so you better tell your Housemates to stop sabotaging me, won't you?" Harry asked sweetly, giving Draco a pointed look. "Besides, I've been reading loads about potions this summer, and I think I understand the basics now. I will need to do the summer assignments or he'll have my head!" Harry, said heading for his room and his supplies.

Draco pouted slightly; it would seem that there would be no more cuddling for a while. He went back to his armchair and his sketchpad with a soft sigh.

"Which classes did you sign up for?" Draco asked when Harry returned, his arms filled with books, parchment, ink, and quills.

"Umm, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, Herbology, Defence, Transfiguration, Magical Law, Healing, Apparation and Forgotten Arts," Harry replied absentmindedly as he settled on the floor, making himself comfortable.

"Our schedule is going to be a nightmare," Draco complained. "Only half of our classes match."

Harry looked up from reading through the Potion professor's assignments and considered the implications. "Maybe we can adjust things a bit?" he asked hesitantly.

"Yeah," Draco agreed, settling beside Harry, borrowing one of his quills. "Let's see, we both have Charms, Defence, Transfiguration, Magical Law, and Healing," he said, writing the subjects down. "That leaves us Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology, Apparation, and Forgotten Arts," he continued, writing those subjects down on a separate line.

"How come you aren't taking Apparation?" Harry wanted to know, looking over what Draco had written down.

"Because I already know how to Apparate. I'm only waiting for my seventeenth birthday, which is when I can get the license."

"Ah. Who taught you?"

"Father did."

"Do you think he could teach me as well?" Harry asked timidly.

"Of course he will."

"Then that is one class we can discard."

Draco nodded and scratched out Apparation.

"We both want to take Potions so that stays," Harry mused, "and I really want to take Herbology."

"Okay," Draco conceded, adding those classes to the first line. "Though I really don't understand why you'd want to take that horrid class. I don't want to drop Ancient Runes or Arithmancy. They are both really interesting and extremely useful. Too bad you didn't pick those subjects instead of Care of Magical Creatures and Divination," Draco complained.

"What can I say? I was young and stupid," Harry quipped, looking over their list once more. They had quite a number of subjects between them. "How about this? We both drop Defence Against Dark Arts and Magical Law, those subjects we should have little difficulty studying on our own. Considering your father's intimate knowledge of how the Ministry works, I'm sure he could help us with any questions we might have if we get stuck. As for Defence, I have a feeling we're both way ahead when it comes to that subject, and should we need help, you can ask your father or Professor Snape for assistance. If we add Forgotten Arts to the list, it will give us eight classes and we both get two classes each we are really interested in. What do you think?"

Draco read through the list slowly, considering the pros and cons of each subject. "I think it would work. But why are you so interested in Herbology? That subject is boring and not to mention dirty," he said, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

"Because I will need it in my future career," Harry replied, doing his best not to think about how cute the other boy was when he wrinkled his nose like that.

"But, I thought you wanted to become an Auror," Draco said in confusion. "You don't need Herbology for that."

"I know what everyone thinks, but that isn't what I want to do. Can you imagine having to take orders from Fudge?" Harry asked, making a face in disgust. "I just said I wanted to become an Auror because that was what everyone expected me to do after graduation. I'd much rather become a hunter of rare potions' ingredients. Think about it, Draco, always moving around from place to place, seeing new things. Never knowing what you'll encounter next. No idiotic bosses to order you around." Harry got a dreamy expression on his face as he explained his vision of the future.

"If that is what you want to do, you should take Care of Magical Creatures as well," Draco said with a soft sigh. He really didn't want to continue that subject, not with that half-idiot teaching it, but for Harry he would suffer the horrors Hagrid considered cute and cuddly.

Harry gave him a soft smile. "Thanks, Draco, but I think it will be safer to learn that subject from a book. Besides, you and Care of Magical Creatures don't mix well, don't you agree?"

"Tell me about it," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "But for you I will make the sacrifice," he quipped.

Harry didn't appreciate the joke though and looked down at his hands, which were resting in his lap. "Don't say that. Not even as a joke. I don't want you to make sacrifices for me and end up being miserable. I can learn what I need about different magical animals from books. It is much more difficult to learn Herbology by merely reading about it, so I'd rather take that class if I have to choose between them."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. I only want you to be happy," Draco tried to explain.

"I know that. But how can I be happy if you are doing things that make you miserable? I realise we will need to compromise now and then, but if there is something you really don't like or don't want to do, tell me. Otherwise I'm no better than Voldemort."

"What?" Draco shrieked. "How can you even say that! You are nothing like that half-breed monster!"

"No? If I force you to do things you don't want just because you happen to be a Veela who wants to make his mate happy, how does that differ from what he does when he forces his followers to do things they don't want to?" Harry asked patiently, looking Draco in the eye.

The blond was forced to pause and consider what Harry had said. "Alright, I think I understand what you are trying to say," he grudgingly admitted after a while. "But I still maintain that you are nothing like that maniac!"

"Thank you for that ringing endorsement," Harry laughed. "Just keep what I said in mind, okay? I don't want a slave. I want a companion, someone who will always be at my side, but won't hesitate to tell me if I'm being a horse's arse."

Draco felt tears well up in his eyes and he was forced to look away until he had his emotions under control. That had been one of his fears growing up, that he would find himself bound to someone who didn't care about him, only about the things they could get from him. He should have known Harry wasn't like that. Still... It was becoming more and more obvious that no one knew the real Harry Potter, the person behind the scar and the epithet. He felt both proud and privileged that Harry was allowing him to glimpse the real him and that he wasn't pushing him away.

"So, our classes, we agree upon Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Charms, Herbology, Potions, Transfiguration, Healing, and Forgotten Arts," Draco stated, needing to get back to safer grounds.

"Sounds good to me. Why don't we have an elf pop over to McGonagall with the revised list, and you can do the summer assignment for Herbology," Harry said with a grin, turning back to his own work.

"Sure, make me do all the work!" Draco mock groused, nevertheless writing the note to the professor.

Having sent the house-elf off, he climbed to his feet to fetch his own books and quills. _Might as well do it now and have it done, especially if Harry is going to work as well and won't be available for more talks and stuff._

HPDM

Albus Dumbledore looked out over the Great Hall at the students sitting there talking, laughing while eating their lunch. Perfect. He rose and knocked his knife against his goblet. "May I have your attention, please?" he said, and gradually the Hall quieted down. "Thank you. I believe most of you are aware of the club Harry Potter and his friends were running last year."

Excited whispers sprang up among the students and Dumbledore smiled benevolently, pausing to give them time to settle down again.

"That club will go on this year as well, only this time it won't be in secret. An adult has agreed to supervise Mr. Potter, and thus the club will be sanctioned by the school. It will be open for third years and above. A list will be put up in your common rooms; anyone interested please sign the list. The first meeting will take place sometime next week. Any further information will be provided by Mr. Potter when he returns to class in three days' time.

"There was a small incident this morning and he is unable to see anyone for the next few days. I know you will respect his need for privacy. That will be all." He sat back down and watched with amusement as the students began to talk among themselves. This was perfect. By announcing the club's existence to the student body like this, Harry would be unable to refuse to teach it. The club would give Harry ample opportunities to practise leadership without Albus having to relinquish any of his authority.

It would also give the boy less time to cause mischief. Harry needed to be held on a shorter leash, especially now that he was going to be influenced by the Malfoys, lest he get ideas of living his own life. That could not be allowed to happen. It was both a blessing and a curse that it was Harry who was Draco's mate. Well, there wasn't much he could do about it but keep the boy closer to him and subtly minimize his freedom without alienating him.

He needed to find a way to teach him Occlumency as well. He couldn't ask Severus this time, which only left himself. Hmm, not a bad idea, actually. That way he would be able to find out what the boy was thinking and if he was plotting something. Ah, yes, things was working out wonderfully. Dumbledore popped a lemon drop into his mouth with a smile. Yes, things couldn't have gone better if he had planned them himself.

HPDM

"I didn't know Harry had agreed to lead the DA. This is wonderful news!" Hermione gushed happily, waiting impatiently for Ron to finish eating.

"But 'Mione, we will be forced to accept those slimy snakes. You know we can't trust them!" Ron complained. "Hey! Maybe they won't sign up. With Harry leading it, no way would they want anything to do with the club," Ron said happily, shovelling some more food into his mouth.

"You forget who Harry is with now. If _he_ comes along, I bet you a lot of the Slytherins will join too. It's too bad, but I guess it can't be helped. At least we will learn a lot off stuff not mentioned in the Defence textbook. Oh, I can't wait to get to the library and start looking for spells Harry can use. Can't you chew any faster?" Hermione added in complaint, eyeing the never shrinking mountain of food on the redhead's plate.

Ron snorted but didn't say anything, merely applying himself to clearing his plate. He was not at all happy about Harry being forced to spend his time with Malfoy. Who knew what torture that slimy backstabbing snake was forcing upon his friend? All Hermione cared about was learning more spells. But then, Defence _was_ useful and they'd had a lot of fun last year. Maybe he should look some stuff up himself? There were a few things he'd heard Bill and Charlie talk about that he'd always wanted to try. Maybe he could get Harry interested as well. Nodding to himself, he shovelled the last of his lunch into his mouth and stood. There was no time like the present, and it would get Hermione off his back about not studying for his N.E.W.T.s.

* * *

**Next Time:**  
The boys have a most unwanted visitor.  
Draco meets one of Harry's friends.  
Stay Tuned…


	7. How did the Headmaster get in?

**_How did the Headmaster get in?_**

**_Monday, Sep 2_**

"Hah! One down, two to go!" Harry crowed happily as he signed his essay with a flourish. "Trust Snape to assign three four foot essays when all the other teachers only assigned one."

"That is Severus for you. He wants to make sure that only those who are really interested in Potions select his NEWT class," Draco said with amusement, looking up from his book.

"Figures! Umm, Draco, would you mind looking through my essay? I'd like a second opinion before submitting it to Snape in case I've made some horrific blunder," Harry asked with his best puppy dog look, holding the essay out for the other boy to take.

Draco snorted but accepted the scroll. Unrolling it, he began to read. When he came to the end, he was impressed. He himself couldn't have done a better job of arguing the pros and cons of using the horn of a unicorn versus the horn of a darcorn in healing potions.

"This is bloody brilliant!" he said, handing back the scroll. "Couldn't have done better myself. But where in Salazar's name did you find a copy of _Light Versus_ _Dark When Healing_? It is rumoured that there are only three copies left in the world, but if anyone has one, they aren't telling. Father and Severus have been trying to find a copy for years. According to them, there should be a potion mentioned in it that could be used to remove the Dark Mark."

Harry got a pensive look on his face, but before he could say anything, the door opened and Dumbledore walked in. "There you are, my boys, and already hard at work." He beamed. "Lemon drop?"

"No, thank you. May I ask what you are doing here?" Harry asked through gritted teeth. He had thought the adults had put up measures that would avoid precisely this kind of situation.

"Why, I came to check up on the two of you, of course. Wouldn't want you to be fighting or some such, now would we?"

"Of _course_ not," Harry drawled darkly.

"I also wanted to tell you, Harry, to start making plans for that little club of yours." Dumbledore continued, ignoring Harry's comment and the way he bristled at having the DA brushed aside as a 'little club'. "Lucius has graciously agreed to supervise you, so I have made the DA available to the entire school, third year and up. I announced it at lunch, and by the looks of it, there will be quite a crowd at your first meeting, which I told the students would be held sometime next week. I expect you to let the student body know the exact date within the next few days. You will have to change the name, of course, we can't continue to call it 'Dumbledore's Army', no matter how flattering it is," Albus added with a chuckle.

"I also went by the kitchen, and the house-elves told me you haven't had lunch yet, so I took the liberty of ordering you something. You have to eat, Harry, starving yourself won't help you deal with your grief and your anger," Dumbledore scolded gently.

Harry was by now furious and wild magic was crackling around him.

"You really need to learn how to control that temper of yours, Harry. _Occlumency_ would be of great assistance to you there, I'm sure, and since I refuse to make the same mistake twice, I won't ask you to learn it from Severus. I will teach it to you myself. Our first lesson will be tomorrow night at eight, please try and be on time," Dumbledore said as if he was bestowing a grand and generous gift. He then swiftly decided it was time to leave, as a breeze was beginning to blow around the room. That breeze had been the only warning of some spectacular explosions this past summer, and he had no wish to be caught in another one.

Harry slowly counted to one hundred once the door had closed behind the Headmaster before leaping to his feet. "That is it!" he seethed, marching towards the door as well, Draco hot on his heels.

Once outside, Harry glared at the knight and demanded, "How did the Headmaster get in? I thought the password had been changed!"

"It was," the knight cheerfully replied, removing his helmet and mopping his brow. "But that was the Headmaster of this school."

"So?"

"When he asked me for the new password, I told him. You cannot deny the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Especially since the Headmaster is the grand and wonderful Albus Dumbledore. Why, just the other week when I was visiting with the lovely lady Violet she told me..."

Harry didn't bother to hear what the knight had found out from Violet, he was too busy steaming. So the great Albus Dumbledore had the portraits on his side, did he? No wonder the wards had failed, if all the pompous meddler had to do was ask for the bloody password to have it delivered on a silver platter. But there was at least one portrait the Headmaster would have difficultly sweet talking, and Harry knew exactly where to find it.

"Umm, Harry? Where are we going?" Draco asked, having to hurry to keep up with the other boy. Harry might be shorter by three inches, but he could move swiftly if he was motivated, and right now, he was motivated.

"We are going to find a portrait that isn't an idiot!" Harry fumed, turning around a corner.

Draco decided to wait and see what would happen as they went deeper and deeper into a part of the castle where he had never been before. By the look of it, not many had been here lately, considering the thick layers of dust and the copious amount of spider webs that decorated the corners.

"Aha! There you are! Was it necessary to move to the deepest, darkest corner you could find?" Harry complained, coming to a halt in front of a large portrait.

"But of course, young speaker," a pleasant and cheerful voice said. "How else will I be able to keep in touch with that which does not walk in the light?"

Draco did his best to suppress a shudder. By the sound of it, Harry had found a new Hagrid. Where did that boy find all his weird friends? Why couldn't he have normal friends like everyone else?

"I see you have brought a friend. Care to introduce me?"

"My apologies. Salazar, meet Draco Malfoy. Draco, I want you to meet a friend of mine, Salazar Slytherin."

"A Malfoy, eh? How delightful, I haven't had a conversation with a Malfoy in _centuries_. You always were the best conversationalists, you and the Princes. Such dry wit and sarcastic humour. You simply must come and visit me often, young sir," Slytherin stated with enthusiasm.

"Eh, thank you. I will," Draco said, completely thrown. After all, it wasn't every day you were face to face, so to speak, with the founder of your House.

"Actually, that is what I wanted to talk to you about, Zar. Draco here is a Veela, and, apparently, I'm his mate. I only found out today, so don't give me that look. Anyway, we have been given our own rooms, but the airhead that is guarding our door is giving out the password to any idiot that's asking. Would you consider becoming our guardian instead?" Harry asked, giving the founder a pleading look.

"But of course! It will be an honour, young sir, and rest assured, only those approved by you will be granted entrance to your sacred sanctuary. That is the true work of a guardian, although some seem to have forgotten that fact," Salazar said, his face darkening as he remembered something.

"Thank you, kind sir," Harry said with a heartfelt sigh. "Do I have thy permission to move thee to thine new home?" he asked, adopting a more formal air.

"I grant thee permission, my young Lord. Take care not to scruff the frame. The last idiot that moved me damaged it something dreadful."

"I promise to be careful," Harry said, pulling out his wand. "Draco, could you cancel the Sticking Charm while I do the Levitation Charm?"

"Sure." Draco nodded, drawing his own wand.

Together they got the painting off the wall and back to their quarters without any mishaps. Removing the knight proved to be a bit trickier, but in the end they managed, and together they put Slytherin in his place.

"Thank you. Now, what do you wish the new password to be?" Salazar asked, walking around his painting to make sure that his potion lab hadn't been too badly damaged by the move.

"What do you suggest, Draco?" Harry asked, his mind completely blank.

"How about dragons and Parselmouths?" Draco asked after a moment of thought.

Harry grinned. "I like it!" Turning towards the dead founder, he continued, "There are only two of us living in these rooms, me and Draco. The only other ones we grant access to are Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy. If anyone else should try and enter, whether they have the password or not, deny them."

"It will be my pleasure," Salazar said with a glint in his eyes, and Harry almost wished he'd be present the next time Dumbledore tried to force his way inside. Being one of the founders, Salazar still had the ability to access the magic of Hogwarts, making it possible for him to hex those that bothered him in spite of 'only' being a painting.

"Thank you, I knew I could count on you, Zar." Harry smirked.

"What are we going to do with this idiot?" Draco asked, nudging their old guard gently. "We can't leave him on the floor like this."

"I suppose not," Harry said with little interest. Then his eyes lit up. "Hey, I know. Help me get it over to that door over there," he said, rushing over to the door to an old classroom not far from their rooms. A few quick charms had the door looking like a wall, and, together with Draco, he managed to stick their old guardian to the false wall.

"Wouldn't you just love to see the look on Dumbledore's face the next time he tries to sneak in on us?" Harry laughed, walking back to their own door. "I bet you no one beside Snape has ever tried to keep him out before and succeeded. Dragons and Parselmouths," he added, walking back inside as the portrait swung open.

"I wonder if it is possible to mount a camera to document the historical moment," Draco managed to get out among his giggles.

"Hey, not a bad idea," Harry said, looking over at Draco. The two boy's eyes met and that was it. They both collapsed to the floor holding their aching sides as they broke down into laughter.

HPDM

Dumbledore returned to his office deep in thought. He had meant every word he'd said to Harry. He _was_ thrilled the youth had been picked as the Veela's mate. Draco would be able to support Harry in a way not many others could. The Malfoy name, although a bit tarnished at the moment, would ensure that Harry would never again want for anything.

Nevertheless, he couldn't help but worry a little. The past summer had not been a good one. Harry had taken the death of Sirius and the news of the Prophesy far worse than Dumbledore had figured he would. It was beyond him how Harry could grieve so for Black. They had hardly known each other, after all. Add to that that they had barely spent any time together, and what you had were two virtual strangers. True, they were godfather and godson, and that was a strong bond in and of itself, but still… How can you grieve so for a stranger?

Albus sank down into his chair and popped a lemon drop into his mouth. He could only hope that Draco would be able to pull Harry out of his funk before it developed into a full-blown depression. Maybe he had made a mistake keeping Harry and his friends in isolation this summer, but what else could he have done?

Harry clearly couldn't have remained with the Dursleys, not with how unstable the boy and his magic had been, but the various Order members simply hadn't been able to spend time with Harry, not when the Ministry of Magic finally acknowledge that Voldemort was back.

Perhaps things would have been better if Harry had arrived at Headquarters later in the summer as was planned... But by the time things had finally calmed down  
somewhat Harry was already firmly ensconced in his new routine of hiding in the library, and Albus simply hadn't seen the point in trying to meddle by then. He'd had far too much to do, and, in truth, had felt relief that he wouldn't have to use his Order members to babysit the boy. No matter how eager some of them were to spend time with Harry.

Besides, Harry hadn't exactly been thrilled to spend time with Ron and Hermione. On the contrary, he had done everything to avoid them, no matter how many times Albus had gently chided the boy about how unhealthy his approach to grieving had been.

Maybe a few adults would have had better result in getting Harry out of his black mood, but when not even his best friends had been able to help him...?

Albus sighed gustily and popped another lemon drop into his mouth. This was all a mote point now, anyway. The summer had ended and he would never know what would have happened if he had acted differently.

If only Remus had been available. But the werewolf had taken the death of Sirius extremely hard and had left Grimmauld Place shortly after the happenings at King's Cross. No one knew for sure where he was. The only communication Albus had had was a short note saying that Remus was safe and that he would return when he was ready, whenever that was. His attempts to contact Lupin and tell him about Harry had failed, and no one had seen or heard anything from him the entire summer.

Albus sighed and shifted in his seat. He could understand the wolf grieving for its pack member, but they were at war, damn it! Remus was needed here, with the Order. Riddle was moving again, and they needed to make sure the werewolf clans didn't side with the Dark Lord. But to convince them to stay with the Light, he needed Lupin to talk to them. It was simply too dangerous to send a human to negotiate.

And then there was Harry. If only he wasn't so important to the war. Albus didn't like having to put all his faith in a teenager. Especially not a moody teenager. An adult you could argue with. An adult could be made to see reason. But a teenager? Dumbledore shuddered. A more egocentric being there never was. They refused to listen to reason. Half the time they considered authority figures to be the enemy, for Merlin's sake.

He had done his best to give Harry a childhood while making sure he would always listen to his elders and do whatever Albus needed him to do. It had worked wondrously for years, but now when he really was needed, Harry suddenly refused to co-operate. He could not lose Harry. He _would _not lose Harry. He would do anything to keep the weapon at his side.

But which was the best option? Which path should he follow? For once, the aged warrior was unsure of what actions to take. Hopefully the situation with the Malfoys would keep Harry distracted, giving Dumbledore more time to come up with a working strategy. For now, he would sit back and observe. If he was fortunate, Harry himself would give him the tools he needed to keep him in line.

Nodding to himself, the Headmaster popped another lemon drop into his mouth and turned his attention to the never-ending paperwork. Yes, he would sit back and observe for now, keeping his involvement to a minimum. Hopefully Ron and Hermione would be able to keep their promise and stand by Harry, reminding the boy of where his true friends were. That would minimize the hold the Malfoys might gain on the boy, making sure he stayed firmly rooted on the Light side.

Feeling content and cautiously optimistic, Albus picked up the latest missive from Fudge and set about trying to prevent another disaster. Really, could the man be any more inept?

* * *

**Next Time:  
**The boys are bored and decide to have some fun.  
Harry manages to impress Severus.  
Stay Tuned…


	8. I’m bored Let’s go flying!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own them, and that is such a pity….

**A/N: **This chapter has been re-posted to fix the grammar. Thank you Vaughn for helping me out.

Also, a _big_ thank you to everyone reading and reviewing. You people are just wonderful!

* * *

**I'm bored. Let's go flying!**

"I'm bored," Harry said some time later, after they had finished the food Dumbledore had ordered for them.

Draco looked up from the book he was reading. "You still have to finish two of Severus' essays," he reminded his mate, who lay sprawled on the floor, a book on his chest.

"I know, but I still have two and a half days to get it done. Besides, I'm not in the mood to study. I want to do something fun."

"Like what?"

"I don't know." Harry pouted. "Hey, I know!" he suddenly yelped, smoothly getting on his feet, causing Draco to drool at the fluid motions of skin and muscles. "Let's go flying!"

"What?" Draco asked, pulling his mind out of the gutter with an effort.

"Let's go flying! I haven't been on a broom in ages! Stupid Umbridge!" Harry added under his breath. "Wanna come along?" he asked, heading for his room to get his trusted Firebolt and put on a robe.

"Sure, why not?" Draco gave in. Staying here and reading about boring plants, or be with his mate flying? There was no contest.

Five minutes later, the two boys were standing in the Quidditch pitch. Classes were still in session, so they had the place to themselves.

"How about some friendly competition?" Harry smirked. "You and me and a Quaffle?"

"Think you can win, Potter?" Draco smirked right back.

"Against you? Hell, yeah!"

"Too bad we don't have a Quaffle, or I'd make you eat those words," Draco challenged.

"Who says we don't?" Harry asked, pulling something from his pocket. He twirled his wand over it, and moments later, he was holding a bright yellow ball in his hand. "Are you game? Or is hot air all you've got?" he teased, throwing the Quaffle into the air and catching it again.

"Bring it on!" Draco called, zooming into the air, stealing the Quaffle with ease. He laughed out loud at the indignant cry from below him and then Harry was next to him, laughing as well.

HPDM

Draco was in the lead, 20 to16, when a shout came from below. Looking down, he saw his father waving for them to join him. Looking over at Harry and noting he'd seen the summons as well, the two of them flew down to land beside the blond aristocrat standing at the edge of the pit.

"Having fun, boys?" Lucius asked, watching the two windblown, red-faced, and above all, happy looking children.

"You bet! You should have seen me, Father. I beat the pants off Potter," Draco crooned happily. This was the most fun he had had in ages and he was riding high on those happy feelings. That his happiness was amplified with the feelings coming from Harry only heightened his happiness even more.

"In your dreams, Malfoy," Harry replied smartly. "Just wait till next time!"

"Hah!"

"Boys," Lucius said sternly, not wanting to put a damper on their good mood, but he had no desire to stand there and listen to the two of them banter back and forth either. "Severus and I need to talk to you."

"Sure," Harry said easily, and headed towards the castle. "I still say I will win next time, Malfoy. You had an unfair advantage this time, that's all."

"Unfair advantage!" Draco spluttered.

"Yeah, everyone knows that Veelas have the biggest sweet tooth," Harry drawled.

"What has that got to do with Quidditch!" the blond demanded to know.

"The Quaffle was made out of a Bertie Botts Every Flavour Bean," Harry laughed, taking off running, a mock angry Draco chasing him while shouting insults.

Lucius watched them go, shaking his head. He was pleased to see Draco so carefree and happy. It reminded him of how he had felt in the beginning when he had found his own mate. He also remembered the complaints from his own father and he was getting an inkling of what the man had been through trying to keep the reins on an infatuated Veela pursuing his mate. Especially since he had not approved of the match. This was going to be an interesting year. At least no one would interfere and meddle with their happiness. He would not allow it. History was _not_ about to repeat itself!

_However, Narcissa had already attempted to make that difficult, _Lucius mused as he thought about the events of earlier that day...

Lucius walked beside a deeply thinking Potions Master, pleased with the way his day had gone so far. After his second meeting with the Headmaster, he had Apparated home and packed a few things, informing his wife of his plans. She had not been pleased with Draco's mate, and by the time he left, his ears were ringing from her screams and several priceless vases and urns had met their untimely death.

His next stop had been to see his 'Master', who had reacted the exact opposite of Narcissa. After a long good laugh, Lord Voldemort had instructed Lucius to make sure that the boy was swayed to their side and had graciously given them until Christmas to corrupt the boy and bring him before the Dark Lord.

That would buy them some time to prepare and would ensure that Narcissa received a cold shoulder when she came and demanded something to be done to save her precious baby.

Lucius snorted. As if she had ever cared for the boy. Draco might be her son, but she only acknowledged that fact when she wanted something. She was a cold-hearted bitch, and he would never forgive his father for saddling him with her, especially since he had already found his mate. They had never bonded though, his father had seen to that! _I hope that bastard is rotting in the hottest pit in Hell for what he did to me,_ Lucius thought darkly.

"This can't be right," Severus said suddenly, bringing Lucius out of his dark musings.

"What?"

"The painting is here, but it shouldn't be," the Potions Master elaborated, looking pensively at the portrait guarding the boy's rooms. "It is too soon."

Lucius raised an eyebrow in surprise. 'Too soon?' Sometimes his friend just didn't make sense. "Aconite," he said, not bothering to comment on the other's statement.

The painting swung open and Lucius walked inside, coming up short. A dusty, unused classroom met his astonished gaze.

"Told you so," Severus said smugly, looking around the room as well. "It would seem the boys changed the guard on their door. I wonder why?"

"My guess is Dumbledore," Lucius said, stepping back into the corridor. "Shall we see if we can find their rooms?"

Severus snorted and stalked down the corridor. He came to a halt in front of a large painting where a tall, dark-haired man was bent over a cauldron, adding something neither of them could identify. The Potions Master cleared his throat and the unknown brewer looked up. Startling green eyes evaluated them, and then he broke into a grin.

"A Malfoy and a Prince, correct?"

"Yes," Lucius answered, a bit perplexed.

"I knew it! I can recognize either family a mile away. This is wonderful, I haven't had a decent conversation for years, apart from the lad of course. And if you are to have a conversation filled with dry wit and sarcasm, then there is no one better than a Malfoy and a Prince, I always say. You simply must come and visit often. Do you reside here? I could just as easily come and visit with you and it would ensure we had some privacy. A drafty hall is, after all, not the place for gentlemen such as us to gather in."

Severus eyebrow rose. "I take it you are the new guardian to these rooms?"

"Of course. The lad came and asked me, and how could I say no? Especially considering the trouble he had with the last guard. Dreadful business."

"What happened?" Lucius demanded, getting worried.

"Did you know the airhead actually gave out the password when asked? Outrageous! A home is a sacred castle and you do not violate someone's sanctuary. It simply isn't done! But what do you expect from a Gryffindor who comes from Hufflepuff stock? No brains, that one. No brains at all. No wonder he ended up being roasted alive in that ridiculous armour of his."

The two men exchanged a worried glance. So the Headmaster had come and bothered the boys, as they had feared he would. After all the safety measures they'd put up to make sure such a thing didn't happen, and the man had gained entrance by simply asking the guard for the password.

Lucius shook his head. "Are the boys in?"

"No. They went flying. They walked out of here carrying brooms. They did not confide in me as to where they were going."

"I bet you it was them I saw at the pitch. I'll go and get them."

Severus nodded. "I will wait here."

"You may wait inside if you'd like," the portrait offered.

"But I do not know the password," Severus replied, wondering if this painting was going to just let anyone enter as well.

"That is true, but the lads told me that the only ones save them that could enter their domain were Severus Snape and Lucius Malfoy. I take it you are he?"

"Indeed I am," Severus said with a slight inclination of his head.

"Excellent! From what the lad tells me, you are quite the potion maker. I would love to come and have a chat or two with you, to compare notes on the progress made over the years. Most of the paintings in this castle have no interest in sharing their discoveries; not that many are in my league anyway," the dark haired man complained, returning to his cauldron, peering inside.

"Drat. Another failure!"

"Are you by any chance Salazar Slytherin?" Severus asked, watching with interest as the cauldron was emptied with a flick of the hand and the brewer started all over.

"That I am, young lad."

"But I thought there were no portraits of you in the castle."

"Ha! That is what they want you to think. No, there are quite a few paintings of me still in this place, but most are locked away and forgotten. The current Headmaster found me while he was still a lowly professor and tried to hide me away too. He failed though," Salazar said smugly. "I was too smart for that brainless idiot and I've been lurking about in the shadows since then, keeping tabs on what is going on, and lending what aid I could when needed.

"Not that many have bothered to heed my words though, until the lad found me. We have talked many a night, and he is quite intelligent. Hides it though. Afraid to lose his friends, he was. Lost them anyway, but that is life for you. I do hope you will be able to assist him in his future endeavours. He has quite a future ahead of him unless he succumbs to the stress and decides to end it all. If that was to happen, would be _most_ displeased," Salazar said the last while glaring fiercely, and Severus had a feeling that the painting he was standing in front of was more than a mere portrait. How that was possible, he had no idea. Before he could ask though, Salazar began speaking again.

"Dear me, here I am blathering away. Why don't you wait inside?" he asked, swinging the door open. Severus took the hint and entered.

Having too much on his mind to be able to just sit and wait, Severus paced around the room pondering the things he'd been told today. Potter had not been reacting as he'd expected and that bothered him. Instead of breaking down sobbing at the unfairness of being Draco's mate, he had stated that he had no wish to follow either Dumbledore or Riddle. Instead of throwing a tantrum that he was now linked with the Malfoys, he had asked for their help to establish a third power in this war.

Then there was the things Slytherin had said. There was little doubt the lad in question was Potter. If Draco had found the Founder during one of his nightly wanderings, Severus would have known about it the same night. His godson would have been unable to keep such a find to himself. There was also the fact that Salazar now was acting as door to these rooms. Who else would have offered to help with the switch if it wasn't Potter who'd known where the Founder hiding?

Had the brat really been thinking about committing suicide? Only those without hope pondered over that option. He was well aware that several of his snakes were considering that option to get away from an, in their eyes, hopeless situation. But for the Boy Who Lived to even think such a thing...

Severus wasn't sure what to think. If the boy had been that dangerously depressed, why had no one acted upon it? He found it extremely unlikely that the boy's friends would not know about it. They clung to the boy like leeches, after all. And the Headmaster… surely Albus would have noticed and done something?

Unable to assimilate the conflicting information, he was almost happy when he noticed a scroll laying on the coffee table with his name on it. Snatching it up, he unrolled it and began to read. Recognizing Potter's scrawl, Severus realised he was reading one of his own assignments. Sinking onto the couch, he groaned. Due to being the mate of Draco, Potter had found a way to sneak his way into his N.E.W.T. class. He closed his eyes for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose. Blast and damnation! He thought he was rid of that menace! Sighing deeply, he opened the scroll and continued reading, figuring he might as well get this over and done with. He shuddered at the thought of having to wade his way through the boy's drivel. Potter might be a hero, but he couldn't write an essay to save his life!

HPDM

When the others entered Severus was still sitting on the couch, scroll in hand, staring into space.

"Hey, Uncle Sev, are you alright?" Draco asked in concern when there was no reaction from Snape. The man was always aware of his surroundings and for him not to notice three people entering a room, especially since none of them had been quiet, was cause to worry.

"Severus?" Lucius asked, walking over and settling beside his friend, getting concerned as well. Reaching out a hand, he placed it gently on Severus' brow to check for a fever.

"Hmm? Oh, good, you are back," Severus said, slowly coming back to the here and now.

"Stop that, Luce, I am perfectly fine!" he added, batting the hand away that was now resting against his throat, checking his pulse.

"Forgive me for getting worried upon finding you sitting here, staring into space like a centaur." Lucius couldn't help tease, earning himself a fierce look.

"Potter, I've been reading your essay, and I must say it is the first time ever that you have shown to be the owner of more than one brain cell. Why you haven't bothered to apply yourself before is beyond me."

"Why, thank you, Professor," Harry smirked, pleased that his effort had earned such high praise. And from a man that it was notoriously difficult to please at that.

"Why have you never shown this level of intelligence before?" Severus demanded, not about to be deterred from getting a few answers.

Harry sighed but realised it was better to give in than to try to avoid the subject. Sinking into a chair, he felt his good mood disappear. Darn, and it had felt so good to let everything go and just be one with the broom and the air. He was startled when a weight settled in his lap, and he opened his eyes he was unaware he'd closed to find Draco sitting there, arms wrapped around his neck. Harry blinked a few times, just staring at the blond. Then he decided he didn't want to know. Turning his attention back to the not so patiently waiting professor, Harry sighed again and replied, "Because I had no idea how to write an essay."

"How could you not? You went to school while living with those Muggles, did you not?" Severus demanded.

Harry snorted. "Yeah, I went to school. When they let me."

"Harry?" Draco asked, not liking the emotions rolling off his mate.

"No, I need to talk about it. Might as well do it now," Harry sighed. "When the Dursleys wanted to punish me for something, they always locked me into the cupboard under the stairs. It could be for a day or two, or it could be for weeks. It all depended on the 'crime' I had committed. It is a tad difficult to keep up with your schoolwork when you are kept out of class. The teacher didn't bother, they just thought I was playing truant, especially since I was usually at the last place in class. I learned early on it was safer for my health to do worse than Dudley, and since he has the brain of an amoeba, that took some work," Harry explained.

"But what about when you came to Hogwarts?" Lucius asked, fighting to keep his temper in check. They had locked the boy into a cupboard? Considering how small the child was, he had a sneaking suspicion they hadn't bothered to feed him while he was locked away. Those Muggles would pay!

"Yeah, Hogwarts," Harry snorted. "I had no idea I was a wizard. I didn't find that little fact out until Hagrid came to get me when I didn't receive my Hogwarts letter. Have you any idea what it was like going from being a nobody, a freak, to being the Saviour of the wizarding world? I had no idea what was going on. I had no clue how to act, so I tried to do what I've always done, stay in the shadows and observe. But it is a difficult to find a shadow when the spotlights are shining right on you.

"By the time I was no longer feeling like I was treading in quicksand, my role had already been established. I was to hate all things Slytherin, I was to be a brilliant Seeker, and I was the balance between my two friends, Ron and Hermione. Woe is me if I did better than her in any subject. The only class where I was allowed to shine was in DADA, considering that I would need it in order to defeat dear old Voldie. To compensate though we have been given the worst teachers possible aside from Remus Lupin.

"Almost all of the teachers expected me to already know the things we were studying and were disappointed in me when I didn't pick things up as quickly as Hermione. When I tried to approach a few of them to ask questions, I was mostly brushed aside, so I stopped asking, doing my best to find out things on my own like I've always done. And then people can't understand why I don't have the 'proper respect' for authority," Harry snorted, unconsciously wrapping his arms around Draco's waist. He liked the way the blond was running his fingers through his hair. It was very soothing and relaxing.

"Then how do you explain this essay?" Severus asked, allowing Lucius to take it and scan through it.

"I told you this morning. I spent the summer thinking."

"Thinking doesn't teach you how to write excellent essays, Potter," Severus snapped, earning himself twin glares from the Malfoys.

"No, but it made me realise that I no longer cared what other people thought of me. The wizarding world is either worshipping me or hating me. My so-called friends have both turned on me one time too many. Dumbledore lost all my respect the night Sirius died. Since I was alone anyway, I decided it was time to live my life the way I wanted to, and not how everyone else thought I should. So I spent the summer reading. Did you know the Blacks have amassed a most incredible library? I found several books dedicated to becoming the perfect scholar, and it was from them I finally learned how to properly structure an essay. I'm glad I got it right," Harry added, sending Snape a smirk.

"I say you did," Lucius said impressed. "Any potion magazine would be proud to accept your essay. It is well thought out, and your conclusions are very impressive and refreshing. But tell me, did you really find a copy of _Light Versus Dark When Healing_?"

"Like I said, the Blacks own a very impressive library. Not all of the books are gathered in the main library."

"I've heard rumours of hidden rooms, but I never found any," Severus said, contemplating the dark haired youth. Maybe he had misjudged things a tad bit.

"I'm not surprised, they are very well hidden." Harry said, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Want to share, love?" Draco asked, having a feeling Harry was drawing this out only to torture Severus, and he didn't want them to come to blows. And that might very well happen if Sev's temper blew.

"Spoil my fun, why don't you," Harry pouted, but gave in. "I talked to Mrs. Black one night when I couldn't sleep. She was most accommodating once we came to an understanding."

"Mrs. Black? An understanding?" Severus was flabbergasted. "How in Merlin's name did you manage _that_? She hates anything not Dark."

"Ah, but you forget, Professor, I own a trait that is considered very Dark," Harry said, unable to hold back a triumphant smirk.

"Parseltongue. You talked to her in Parseltongue, didn't you?" Draco said in awe. He had been raised with tales of the Black family; his mother was a Black, after all, and she had shared many a tale of the late Mrs. Black.

"Yes, I did. I accidentally woke her one night, and I didn't want her to alert the entire house, so I hissed at her. I wasn't really talking to her, but more cursing my bad luck. I was floored when she started talking to me in a civil manner. We talked for hours, and I visited with her several times after that. She told me quite a bit about the house and where I could find interesting rooms and such. Some of the oldest rooms were actually guarded with passwords in Parseltongue; she said it was a trait that had once been part of the Black legacy since a Slytherin had married into the family. It died out several hundred years ago though, and the rooms have been locked shut since."

"But Harry, the house isn't that old," Severus said, perplexed.

"That house isn't. But it is connected with the Black Manor and _it_ is."

"You've been to Black Manor?" Lucius asked, amazed. "I thought it was a myth. A legend. Lost to time long ago."

"No, it exists. It is extremely well hidden, but it still stands," Harry answered.

"Wow. Will you take me there sometime?" Draco asked.

"Sure. You are of Black blood; you should be able to access a lot of the rooms I couldn't get into. The Blacks are _very_ focused on blood, it seems. I spent some time talking to the paintings. Most wouldn't give me the time of day once they realised I wasn't of their blood, but since I was a Parselmouth, they didn't kick me out either. According to them, I must be very Dark and powerful, so they either tolerated or ignored me."

Severus and Lucius shared a glance. The boy was full of surprises, it seemed. And he spoke so causally of visiting the Black Manor, as if it was no more remarkable than a trip to Diagon Alley.

"Harry, about the book. Did you find a copy?" Lucius asked, returning to the question that caused this latest tangent.

"Oh. Yeah. I did. I take it you want to see it?"

"Yes, I would. We would," Lucius amended, looking over at Severus once more. Could it be possible that their nightmare was about to end?

Harry looked at the two men, hesitating. He wanted to help them, but he wasn't sure he wanted to give up his secret. He had a feeling he already had said too much, but he really couldn't see what was so special about him visiting the Manor. It was just a house, right? Sure, it was old and contained a lot of things that's been forgotten over time, but it still was just an old house filled with stuff.

"Harry?"

"If I let you read the book, will Professor Snape cease prosecuting me in class?" Harry asked bluntly.

"Blackmail, Potter? How utterly Slytherin of you," Severus smirked, not at all offended. In fact, this gave him a way to change his behaviour without losing much face or having, Salazar forbid, to apologise. "Very well, I promise to treat you better in class if you continue to show me that you have a brain and aren't afraid to use it."

Harry considered the wording carefully. Having spent some time among Blacks and Salazar Slytherin, he had learned, the hard way, to pay attention to what people actually said and not accept at face value what you _thought_ they said.

"Deal," he agreed eventually. "Draco, would you mind?" he pointedly asked the blond, who made no move to get off his lap.

"Don't want to," Draco pouted playfully. "Ouch! Hey, that was uncalled for!" he protested when Harry pushed him off and he landed on the floor with a thud.

"Sorry, dear, but I'm not about to stand between a Potions Master and a new book he wants to read," Harry grinned, looking down at the Veela. Stepping around him, he went to his room and closed the door. Five minutes later, he returned, carrying a large book bound in black leather. Stopping in front of the couch, he held it out for Snape to take.

Severus accepted the book with reverence, letting his fingers trace the title carved into the leather. "So it really exists," he whispered, tracing the name of the author. _Helga Hufflepuff_.

Lucius looked up at Harry. "How in the world did you manage to get that book out of the Manor? Wasn't there wards protecting against theft?"

"I don't know, I suppose." Harry shrugged, settling back in the chair he had vacated earlier.

"Harry?" Lucius prompted, letting a hint of steel enter his voice. He wanted answers and he wanted them now.

Harry pouted but realised the folly of thwarting the elder Malfoy's authority. "Salazar showed me a spell that will allow you to copy any book you are interested in. No matter what protections the owner has in place, no matter what spells used to prevent copying without authorisation, this spell overrides them all."

"Bloody brilliant!" Draco breathed. "You've got to teach me that spell!"

"Sorry, Draco, it is in Parseltongue."

"Figures!" Draco said dejected, but then he brightened again. "But you could copy any book for me, right? If I asked nicely?" he added, sending a flirtish look at Harry, batting his eyelashes.

Harry blushed. Then he laughed, but did not comment.

Severus ignored the byplay and rose cradling the book to his chest. "I will head down to my rooms and read through this treasure. I will give your essay full marks, and I am looking forward to reading the other two. I would, however, keep quiet about this book, or the Headmaster will find a way to confiscate it, in the name of the war of course. The same goes for any other treasures you've found this summer."

Harry nodded that he had understood and watched as the Potion Master swept from the room, the book now safely hidden inside a pocket. Turning back to the others, he opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by his grumbling stomach. Snapping his fingers, he said, "I'm hungry. Either of you want anything?"

* * *

**A/N**: I bet not many figured _that_ was how Harry impressed Snape, am I right? Grin

**Next Time:**

Harry decides it is time for a little payback. Everyone appreciates a good prank, correct?  
Apparently not the Headmaster.  
Stay tuned…


	9. Time for Payback

**Disclaimer: **I don't own them, and that is such a pity….

**A/N: **This chapter has been re-posted to fix the grammar. A big thank you to my Beta Vaughn for all the help. Any mistakes left are my own.

This will in time be a slash story, don't like it? Don't read it.

This story is also an AU from book five. (Book six? What book six? Never heard of it, never read it, never disliked it immensely!)

* * *

**Time for Payback**

"Albus, there is something that I believe you need to see," McGonagall said, walking up to the Headmaster where he sat working behind his desk.

"What is it, Minerva? I trust there are no troubles?"

"No, no troubles. Mr. Potter and Mr. Malfoy sent me a letter earlier today in regard to their schedules," McGonagall explained, holding the letter out for the other to take.

_Dear Deputy Headmistress,_

_My mate and I have talked things through and we realise that our schedule is a nightmare the way it stands now. Not to mention that we will be overloaded with far too many classes. Therefore, we made the decision to coordinate our choices and_, _this is the result. I trust you will find your work easier now and will accommodate our wishes._

_Sincerely, _

_Draco Malfoy _

_Classes we wish to take:_

_Ancient Runes,  
Arithmancy,  
Charms,  
Herbology,  
Potions,  
Transfiguration,  
Healing_,_  
Forgotten Arts._

"Very commendable of them," Albus said with a soft smile. He was positive this was Harry's idea, that boy was always so considerate of others. He read the list once more and frowned. "This must be a mistake, they have both dropped Defence," he said, looking up at his deputy.

"That is why I decided to bring this to your attention." McGonagall nodded. "Albus, Harry needs Deence Against The Dark Arts if he is to survive this war, not to mention we can't let the boy lead a defence club if he isn't taking Defence. What example would that set for the students? Not to mention what the parents will say when they find out." She shuddered at the thought of all those Howlers she'd be swamped with.

"Put both boys down for Defence," Albus decided. "I have a meeting with Harry tomorrow night; I will speak with him about this then. I am sure he will be made to see reason, and if he finds the workload too heavy, he can always drop one of the other classes," he stated, dismissing the issue from his mind and returning to his letter. Fudge was demanding his advice again. The Headmaster almost wished the man still had his head in the sand, then he wouldn't be pestered with letters demanding advice on just about everything.

**Day Two - Tuesday**

Harry woke with a gasp and a shudder. He slowly sat up in bed, his heart beating wildly. Ever since about two weeks before his birthday his nights had been filled with weird dreams of a forest and a woman singing. He had no idea what she was singing since he didn't understand the language, but it was a beautiful song, albeit sad. It filled him with such longing, and he often had to fight an urge to just leave and rush headlong to find the singer.

So far, he had managed to stop himself though. He had no way of knowing where this mysterious singer was. Or knowing who she was, for that matter. What if this was just another trick from Voldemort? But each time he heard that song, the pull became stronger. How much longer was he going to be able to resist the lure?

Sighing softly, Harry threw back the covers. There would be no more sleep tonight, he might as well get up and do something useful. At least it hadn't been another torture filled nightmare of dear old Voldie killing innocent people. It was a wonder he hadn't developed insomnia by now!

Suddenly he smirked. Tonight was the perfect opportunity for some payback. He had been nice for far too long. It was time to make some people realise what it meant to piss off the Boy Who Lived. It was time to tap into the mischievous streak he had inherited from his father. Oh yeah, they would never know what hit them.

Quickly he got out of the bed and dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He didn't bother with shoes and only pulled on a pair of socks to ward off some of the chill from stone floors. Grabbing one of his beloved Bertie Botts beans, he quickly transfigured it into a large bowl, which he shrunk and put into a pocket. Digging out the map next, he pulled the invisibility cloak over himself, ready to wreck some havoc on the castle. Then he paused. Draco. The other boy was still sleeping, but what if he woke up and couldn't find Harry? Since he had fallen asleep with the door open, one look was all it would take, and if Draco worried and began searching for him...

With a shake of his head, Harry scribbled a brief note, hoping it would appease the Veela and stop him from causing a ruckus. Everything hinged on no one suspecting him. Ah well, only time would tell.

Activating the map, Harry made sure everyone was where he or she were supposed to be, or rather, made sure no one was where he planned to be. On silent feet, he left the living room and sneaked along deserted corridors. Not even Mrs. Norris was about; she probably figured that no one would cause trouble on the first night of classes. Harry smirked. If only they knew.

He reached the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office without being detected. Gently he reached out a hand and placed it on the statue's nose, whispering to it in Parseltongue. Zar had been extremely helpful once he heard Harry's idea, and the Founder had even improved it a bit.

Without making a noise, the gargoyle stepped aside from its guard post without alerting anyone and allowed Harry entrance. Having a sneaky Slytherin on your side was a very good thing, Harry thought smugly. Quickly he climbed the escalator that for once was not moving, and made it to the Headmaster's office. Once more, he reached out his hand and placed it on a specific spot, whispering a spell Zar had taught him that disabled the security spell on the door.

Easing it open, Harry slipped inside, making sure the door did not close. Hurriedly he stepped up to the desk and to the bowl of lemon drops standing on it. Pulling out his wand, he dug the bowl from his pocket, not bothering to resize it, and placing them side by side, he cast a spell linking them together. Smirking, Harry searched the desk and found several bags of the sweets and linked them to the bowl he'd brought as well. Returning everything to the place where he'd found it, Harry placed the empty bowl back into a pocket and turned to leave, only to come up short when he noticed Fawkes.

Drat! He had forgotten all about the Phoenix. The paintings adorning the walls had been included in the override spell he'd whispered to the door, preventing them from noticing him. However, the familiar was not affected by the spell at all. Holding his breath, Harry waited to see what the bird would do. The breath exploded from his lungs when all Fawkes did was to wink at him and hide his head under a wing. Harry broke out into a wide grin. He tiptoed to where the bird was resting and petted the soft feathers gently.

"Thank you, my friend. Come find me if I can ever do anything for you," he breathed, before leaving the office as silent as a ghost.

Once he was far away from the office, he gave out a soft whoop and jumped into the air. Yes! Step one of operation payback was underway. Now for the next step. Running, he set off for the Great Hall. Easing one of the smaller side doors open, Harry slipped inside and pulled out a bottle from his pocket. Walking over to the Slytherin table, he dribbled a few droplets onto each seat, making sure not to miss a single one. When he was finished, he hurried over to the Gryffindor table and did the same thing there. Putting the now empty bottle back into a pocket, he eased his way out of the hall and ran back to his and Draco's rooms. If the potion worked, the students should have an entertaining morning.

Smirking, Harry gave Zar the password and slipped inside. He had made it! He had begun his reign of terror and no one knew!

"Where in Merlin's name have you been?"

Draco's cry of indignation cut short Harry's self-congratulations. "Ehm. Morning, Draco, what are you doing up so early?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"I woke early because my prat of a mate was up doing no good, patting himself so loudly on the back that it woke me from a sound sleep. I didn't know what to think, so imagine my surprise when I climb out of my very soft, warm, not to mention comfortable bed to find that my mate is nowhere to be seen and that he only left this measly little note behind! Where were you? What did you do, and why in Circe's name didn't you invite me along?" Draco demanded, looking very put out.

Harry blinked at the barrage of demands. "Umm, I woke early, couldn't go back to sleep and didn't want to wake you?" he offered hesitantly.

Draco waved the explanation aside. "Next time, and I am sure there will be a next time, wake me. Okay? I have some people I want to prank as well. Why should you have all the fun?"

"How did you know I was going to prank anyone?"

"Oh, please. It said so right here," Draco said, waving the note Harry had left him.

Confused, Harry took the note from him and read what he'd written.

_Draco, _

_Gone to take care of something.  
__Will be right back._

_Harry_

"It doesn't say anything here about pranks," Harry protested.

"What else would you be doing, sneaking off like that? Especially in the middle of the night?"

Harry huffed and pulled the bowl from his pocket, placing it on the coffee table after having returned it to its original size. He walked into his room and returned shortly with a box of Bertie Botts. Settling on the sofa, he upended the box on the table and watched as the beans scattered every which way. "Do you happen to know of a spell that separates the tasty from the nasty?" he asked, still looking at all the beans.

"Umm, no. I don't think there is a spell for that," Draco replied in surprise. "Why?"

Harry frowned. "Are you sure there is no way of separating them?"

"Salazar's teeth!" Draco swore and settled in a chair, pulling the table closer. Swiftly he began to separate the beans into two piles. "Where do you want the tasty ones?" he asked, indicating one of the piles.

"Put them back in the box. You may have them if you like," Harry offered, holding out the box. "Put the nasty ones in the bowl."

Draco gave him a dark look but continued to work diligently. Before long, the scattered mess had been dealt with and the bowl was filled with a rainbow of colours.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on now?" Draco demanded.

"Soon. But I think you can guess in a minute." Harry smiled and upended the bowl, once more scattering the beans all over the table. Pulling his wand, he whispered a spell, turning all the beans into lemon drops. With another wave, he moved them back to the bowl.

Draco watched in fascination. Slowly he reached out and picked on up. Turning it round and round, he inspected it. It looked just like the sweet the Headmaster was so crazy about. Gingerly he stuck his tongue out and licked it. Immediately he screwed his face up, making a face, dropping the sweet onto the table.

"Ugh, gross! Raw liver!" he complained, and eagerly accepted the glass of water Harry conjured for him, gulping it down.

"Let me guess, this bowl is somehow connected to the one in Dumb's office?"

Harry laughed and nodded.

"So every time he takes one, he risks getting one of these? Brilliant! I wish I had thought of that. How did you get into his office? That place has wards and security spells you wouldn't believe."

"Yes, but it helps to have the emergency passwords Slytherin installed in case the castle was ever invaded," Harry grinned.

Draco gave him a look of admiration. Then he began to laugh, imagining the look on Dumbledore's face when he began to suck on one of these lemon drops. Maybe now he'd be cured of his unhealthy obsession with the Muggle candy.

HPDM

"Good morning, boys," Lucius greeted them several hours later.

"Good morning, Father."

"Good morning, Lucius."

Draco and Harry chorused, looking up from their books. Harry was working on Snape's essays, and Draco was looking through Harry's books for the Forgotten Arts class since the subject was new to him.

"Such diligence, and so early in the morning. It makes a father's heart proud," Lucius sighed dramatically, walking over to where the two boys were working. "Or is it a by-product of being up early, pranking your Housemates?" he asked knowingly.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Father." Draco said, looking up at his father with eagerness and curiosity. Had Harry done something else beside rig Dumbledore's candy bowl? "Did something happen this morning?"

Lucius studied his son and realised that he had no idea what had occurred earlier this morning. Looking over at Harry, he _knew_ the boy was behind the sudden confessions the two Houses had decided to bestow on the unsuspecting Great Hall.

"Did something happen, you ask? Something did indeed happen. I was calmly eating my breakfast chatting with Severus when suddenly...

_Lucius had made his way down for breakfast, feelings of anticipations coursing through his body. Had Severus found what they had been searching for, for so long? Making sure that his mask was firmly in place, he entered the Great Hall and settled at the end beside the Potions Master._

_"Good morning, Severus, I trust all is well?"_

_"Yes. I was unexpectedly called away last night, but the meeting was brief and didn't come to much," Severus replied blandly, taking a sip from his teacup._

_Lucius cursed silently, but the hand holding the cup was steady_,_ and Severus' eyes were clear_,_ with no signs of being under the _Cruciatus Curse_, thank Salazar._

_"I'm sorry to hear that your evening was a waste. I take it you didn't have time to check up on that potion we were discussing?"_

_"Unfortunately, no. The Headmaster called a staff meeting when I returned, and spent too much time discussing the Potter brat and his new status," Severus muttered, stabbing a sausage. "The entire evening was a..."_

_He never got to finish what he was going to say because Ronald Weasley suddenly rose from his seat_,_ and in a clear _--_and not to mention_,_ ringing_--_ voice said for all to hear, "I hate Snape!" Then he sat back down and continued to eat as if nothing had happened._

_A deathly silence fell upon the hall_,_ and every student looked over at the Potions Professor to see what he was going to do. Severus put his cutlery down in calm manner that only caused those watching to shudder in fear and anticipation. However, before he could do anything else_,_ Pansy Parkinson rose and proclaimed, "I hate Draco Malfoy" before sitting down again._

_As if that had been the trigger, more Gryffindors and Slytherins began popping up to proclaim what they hated_,_ and soon the two unaffected Houses were laughing at the things they found out._

_Ginny hated having red hair. Hermione hated not knowing things. Neville hated his toad_, _Trevor. Crabbe hated grapes. Goyle hated having to follow Draco around. Blaise hated the colour blue. On and on the list went until the last student, a seventh year Gryffindor_,_ proclaimed to hate Transfiguration_,_ causing McGonagall to hiss like an angry cat. Lucius had a feeling that student would find new reasons to hate Transfiguration from now on._

_"That was a most unusual morning," Dumbledore said, getting to his feet. "I trust no one will torment a fellow student by the things they have found out this morning. I must say I am most displeased with the one behind this prank. Please come to my office sometime today so we may have a little chat." He sat back down again, his eyes for once not twinkling._

_Lucius and Severus shared a look. They had a feeling they knew who was behind this and it would be a cold day in hell before he willingly went to see the Headmaster._

_Severus rose gracefully from his seat and immediately every eye went to him once more._

_"Finished already?" Lucius asked innocently._

_"Yes. I need to see a student about his disrespect for his professors. It shouldn't take long," he smirked and headed across the floor to stop behind Ron's chair. No one could hear what was said_,_ but the sudden paleness of Ron's face spoke volumes. Abandoning his plate, he followed the Potions Master out of the hall and a storm of whispers sprung up once the heavy door had closed._

"Oh man! I wish I had seen that. Poor Ron, not." Harry gasped, fighting to regain his breath from all his laughter.

"I am more interested in the fact that Pansy hates me," Draco stated, fighting to get his own hilarity under control. "The way she's been hanging on to me telling everyone who wanted to hear, and those who wouldn't, that we were going to get married and have a slew of kids together. She made my life miserable and she hates me? Just wait until I get my hands on her!" he seethed, all laughter forgotten as he remembered how she'd clung to him. Just like a leech, now that he thought about it.

"Calm down, Draco. I am sure you can find a suitable way to make her regret her statement," Lucius drawled, noting the look the two boys shared and the glint that sprung into their eyes. It would appear that life at Hogwarts would be very interesting this year in more ways than one.

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**Next Time:**  
The Malfoys take Harry shopping.  
Stay Tuned… 


	10. Got Anything In Leather?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own them, but oh how I wish I did.

**Summary:  
**Draco finds hit mate and a tentative relationship is beginning to build  
Severus and Lucius meet Salazar  
Harry decides it is time for some revenge

This will in time be a slash-story. Don't like it? Don't read it.

I've got a beta-reader, whohoo! This chapter has been checked by the talented Keikokin. A million thanks for your help in making this story better. Any mistakes found below are my own.

**

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**Got Anything In Leather?**

"If you are quite finished? We need to get going." Lucius reminded the boys.

"Where are we going Father?" Draco asked getting to his feet.

"Diagon Alley. Harry needs a new wardrobe and I understand you need a few new books?"

"Oh. I'd forgotten." Draco said going to change his clothes.

"You don't have to Mr. Malfoy. I was going to transfigure some stuff later on when I got the time." Harry said still sitting at the table, picking up a quill and toying with it.

"It is no trouble and it is Lucius, remember? You are family now and no family of mine is going to walk around dressed in rags. Or have to transfigure their own clothes. You deserve the best and that is what you are going to get. Now hurry along please, we have an appointment in half an hour."

"Yes sir." Harry murmured and went to put on his school robe.

_Hmm, it would seem the boy reverts to formal address when he is unsure. He had no problem calling me by my name last night when we were relaxing and chatting over hot cocoa. I'll have to keep an eye on that._ Lucius mused waiting for the boys to return.

HPDM

Harry walked between Lucius and Draco as they headed outside towards Hogwarts' wards. The sun was shining, the sky was blue, and there was only a soft breeze flitting in and out of the treetops. Harry smiled; if he tried, it was almost as if he could hear tiny silvery laughter. Taking a deep breath, he let the autumn air fill his lungs and he felt strangely content. It was as if his entire being was recharged once he was away from the stony halls. As if the walls of his only home had been holding him down and penning him in.

Shaking his head, he pushed such nonsense to the side and returned his focus on the easy banter between father and son. Never in a million years would he have imagined the dignified Lucius Malfoy to actually have a sense of humour. Or have a soft side where his son was concerned. Talk about Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! Harry thought amused. What you saw was most definitely _not_ what you received when it came to Malfoys.

And that went for both of them. Draco was an entirely different person when they were alone and Harry was beginning to realise that he too had only seen the mask they presented to the world. Not the real persons hiding behind it. Merlin, he had been such a child! But then, there hadn't been anyone around to teach him such things, had there?

"Such deep thoughts for such a lovely morning." Lucius voice cut in, bringing him back to the here and now. Blushing Harry realised they had passed the wards and that Lucius was holding out a portkey he was yet to touch. Feeling his entire face grow hot, Harry quickly placed two fingers on the disk Mr. Malfoy held and then came that hated feeling of a hook behind his navel, jerking him through space.

Harry landed with a hard thud and it was only the quick grab on his arm from Lucius that prevented him from falling to the ground. Eyes closed and breathing deeply he fought the nausea and the terror that swept through him. _Not there, not there, I'm not there!_ was the mantra he clung to and eventually the feelings died down and he became aware of his surroundings once more.

Opening his eyes, Harry saw he was standing in a large fitting room with three people looking at him in concern. Ducking his head he murmured: "I'm alright now. I just really hate portkeys."

Lucius nodded and let go of the arm he was holding, prepared to catch the boy if needed, but Harry was firmly on his feet and took a few steps forward, looking around with curiosity.

"Welcome Misters Malfoy and Potter. I am Henri and I understand one of you are in need of my services?" the tailor said, ever the expert. He was going to pretend that little episode had never happened. He did not intend to lose the Malfoys as his clients. Very bad for business that. Very bad indeed.

"Yes, my son's mate needs an entire new wardrobe." Lucius drawled leading Harry to the stool placed before three mirrors. Urging the boy up on it he removed the robe and smirked at the shocked gaps from Henri.

"Zut alor! This is simply hideous!" the tailor hissed walking around Harry taking in his too large hand-me-downs. "This will _have_ to go," he added fingering the sweatshirt Harry was wearing with distaste.

"Trousers first I think, non?" he said and with a flick of his wrist the clothes Harry had been wearing disappeared. Another flick had him dressed in a pair of black trousers. "These are made from our finest wool. As you can see they have a lovely fall and will cling just so to the wearer's body..." Henri said pointing out this aspect and that to the two Malfoys.

Harry didn't listen, more intent to look at himself in the mirror. The trousers were ok he supposed, and he wouldn't mind seeing them on Draco. Nevertheless, they were not for him.

"No," he said interrupting whatever the tailor was saying. "I don't like them."

Henri spluttered, but held his tongue. "I see, perhaps this will be more to your liking sir," he said and did the same little flick with his wrist. Instantly Harry was dressed in a pair of silk trousers that had Draco practically drooling.

Harry merely shook his head. "No. Don't you have anything in leather?"

"Leather?" Henri was shocked. "How utterly tacky! Certainly not young sir. We do not provide with that type of clothes here."

"Then I apologise for taking up your time." Harry said hopping off the stool.

"Now look here, I don't think you understand." Henri said getting nervous. He didn't want to loose a huge sale, but there was no way he was going to get a reputation for selling leather!

"I think it is you who don't understand," Harry said firmly. "It is my choice. My decision. Right Lucius?" he asked looking over at the older man who seemed to find the entire situation extremely amusing.

"Yes Harry, it is," he agreed and re-dressed the teen in his own clothes. "It would seem we are done here for this time." And with that he swept his two charges out of the shop.

Looking up and down the street, Lucius tried to decide where to go next. He wasn't entirely pleased with Harry's desire to wear leather, but he wasn't about to deny him this either. He could understand Henri's reaction though. Only vampires and those on the prowl wore leather today. It really wasn't something you wore in polite company. Biting back a sigh, he led the boys down the street towards Knockturn Alley. A shop there sold leather clothing.

Unfortunately, it was more a sex shop than a clothes store.

He could only hope that Harry's fascination for leather clothes was a passing fad. Like the time when Draco refused to wear anything, but blue. He had even managed to colour his hair blue, and it stayed that way for an entire month. Not even Severus had been able to do anything. No amount of pleading, bribery or threats had managed to sway the toddler. It had been a nightmare. Fortunately, he had soon after become taken with dragons, and things had returned to normal. He was to this day thankful the boy hadn't found a way to change the colour of his skin!

Harry watched with interest the shops and the people they were passing. That they were heading towards Knockturn Alley didn't worry him much. He was well equipped to take care of himself, unlike the first time he'd ventured here. He noted with amusement the way the passersby moved out of the way when they realised who was walking down the street, giving them a wide birth.

"Is it a Malfoy thing or a Death Eater thing?" Harry asked in a low voice, his amusement evident.

"A Malfoy thing of course," Draco replied haughtily, sounding highly insulted he could even be _considering_ another reason for the treatment they received.

Before Harry could comment, they were steered into a small shop that didn't look very appealing on the outside. If it hadn't been for his present company, Harry would never have set foot in this place.

"Hello and welcome to the Seven Sins. I am Cheryl, how can I help you?" a young woman asked popping out of nowhere.

Draco's eyes lit up when he heard the name of the shop. Lucius noted this and grabbed hold of his son's arm, not about to let his heir wander about unaided in this place.

"Yes, we are looking for some leather. As in clothes," he added fearing what else the woman might try to sell them. He didn't think the boys were ready for that. He knew _he_ wasn't ready for them being ready for that.

"Of course, come this way please and I'll call Sean." Cheryl smiled and led them to a room in the back.

It resembled the fitting room they had recently left, Harry noted, but this place was more lived in somehow; as if the one on charge didn't take himself as seriously as Henri did.

"I heard you wanted some clothes?" a young man in his late 20's asked appearing from behind a tapestry.

"That is right. My young charge here wishes to renew his wardrobe." Lucius drawled giving Harry a gentle push forward.

"Right. Hop up on the stool kid and I'll see what I can do." Sean pointed at the stool in front of three mirrors while Lucius and Draco settled in two chairs to watch.

"Ugh, that is ugly." Sean commented when Harry removed his robe. "I can see why you'd want something new. Right, we've got lots to do. Trousers first," he pulled his wand and Harry found himself dressed in a pair of leather trousers. They looked like they had been moulded to him, fitting like a second skin. Much to Draco's delight, they left nothing to fantasy.

Harry frowned at his reflection and tried to move around a little. The trousers were _snug_. "I'm not a street-walker you know," he said causing the three men to splutter. "I want clothes made of leather but this is ridiculous. Don't you have something that isn't so tight?"

Sean recovered from his shock and thinking for a moment, he waved his wand dressing Harry in another pair.

Harry shook his head. The trousers were looser all right, but showing far too much skin. "I want a pair of trousers, not a sieve!" he complained. "Honestly!"

Annoyed he called his wand to him and froze the mirror image. "This is what I want," he stated dressing his image in a pair of leather trousers that fit well, but weren't too snug. They clung nicely to his hip and upper thighs, and became wider and loser as they fell down his legs to pool around his ankles. They allowed him maximum of movement and the loose fit around his lower legs would allow him to hide a few things, like a nice dagger or two. To that, he added a well fitting silk shirt with billowy sleeves and a leather vest that practically moulded itself to his upper body.

Intrigued Lucius stepped closer to the mirror thankful that Harry had turned down the shops usual selection. "Not bad. I like it. Do you want that in normal leather or dragon skin?" he asked tilting his head to the side. With the correct material and spells such an outfit would make him safe from most trouble makers. Perhaps he should get a few sets for his son as well?

"I hadn't thought that far." Harry mused, not about to admit that he was going to transfigure his clothes from what ever would work. Type of leather had never entered the equation.

"Dragon skin will cost you, but the result will be so much better." Sean said with enthusiasm, playing around with the image, dressing it in different types of leather, showing off the different effects and colours of each species. "Then there are the added bonuses that dragon skin will protect you from most spells and if you add silver you can bespell it and make the outfit even more resilient. This is brilliant! Will you allow me to purchase this idea? I know several customers that would _love_ this look."

Lucius' eyebrow rose. "We will need to consider that. We also need to see the finished result."

"Right you are! What are we standing around here for? Let's get working!" Sean said with enthusiasm and called over several tape measures. Having what he needed he bounced out of the room leaving three bemused people behind.

"I really like your idea Harry. Where did you come up with this?" Draco asked standing beside his mate, looking over the figure in the mirror.

Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure I can explain it. I was reading about some war between Elves and Vampires. There were drawings of several of the leaders and the way they looked, the way they were dressed. It got me thinking. I guess I just melded their styles, picking what I liked and left out what I didn't'."

"Well I think it's brilliant. Would you mind if I got some outfits like that?" Draco asked, unable to tear his eyes away. There was something about the image, something different, that called to him though he had no idea what.

Harry laughed. "If you can persuade your father I don't mind."

Draco merely grinned smugly, certain about his ability to sway his father to see things his way.

Lucius watched them from the chair and bit back a chuckle. Sometimes his son was so mature, and then at times like this, he acted as he'd done when he was five and wanted his own Kneazle.

"Here we go! I used deerskin since that is easier and quicker to work with than Dragon hide. Not to mention, that is what I had on hand," Sean said bounding back into the room dressing Harry in the trousers he'd made. To that he added a jade green silk shirt and the vest.

Harry turned this way and that, looking himself over. Then he jumped off the stool and walked around the room. Suddenly he squatted down and placed his hands against the floor, going up in a hand stand. Flipping over he rolled and was back on his feet.

"Excellent, precisely what I was looking for. Now, a few more details," Harry stated walking back to the still frozen mirror image. However, the flat surface was too inadequate for Harry to get his points across and he soon became frustrated at his inability to explain what it was he wanted. Running a hand through his hair, his gaze landed on Draco. His eyes lit up and he broke into a grin. "That's it! Make an outfit for Draco here." Harry ordered and ushered the blond to the footstool.

Sean sent a questioning glance at the senior Malfoy who nodded his consent. Setting to work, it didn't take him long to return with Draco's copy of Harry's design. Looking over himself in the mirror Draco had to admit that he looked good. The black leather enhanced his paleness and the deep blue silk shirt brought out the colours of his hair and eyes.

"Come on down Draco," Harry ordered pulling on the nearest arm, the unexpected move causing the Veela to overbalance and fall off the stool. "Sorry," Harry said not sounding sorry at all, his focus on Sean. "Now this is what I want you to do. I'll need a pocket here that will act like a wand holster, make sure to bespell it, so the wand won't be harmed and that it will withhold summoning charms and such. On the other leg, here, I'll need several small pockets that will hold throwing stars, make sure to remember to bespell the leather to be impenetrable as I don't want to be pricked by my own weapons..." Harry said walking slowly around Draco, spitting out his orders in a swift fashion that told those present that this was something he had considered carefully for a long time. Eventually he wound down and Sean had several scrolls with instructions.

"Can you manage that?" Harry asked looking the tailor in the eye.

Sean gulped softly realising that lying was not an option, not to this kid. "Yes, I can do it. It will take some time though and I might have to get outside help for some of the spell work."

Harry tilted his head to the side, thinking. "You take your time and make sure to get it right and I will let you use the design for your clients, minus the spell work of course. I also want you to make two more outfits for Draco and myself, in different colours, to wear until you've finished the ones made of dragon skin. Besides, it will give us ample opportunity to advertise your skills," he added with a smirk

"Consider it done!" Sean said eagerly, already dreaming of the added profit that this would get him. "And if you should come up with a new design, owl me and I'll make a set for you, free of charge."

"Okay," Harry said with a shrug, not really interested in the offer, but accepted it nevertheless. After all, Draco might have some ideas once he'd have time to think it over.

"Excellent," Lucius said getting up from his chair. He was pleased with how Harry had conducted himself today. "We will need a few more shirts though before we leave. What else do you have to offer on that front?"

Sean snapped out of his dream world and called for Cheryl. Together they showed off the different shirts, polo necks, and t-shirts the shop carried. By the time Lucius had made his selection, there was a large pile waiting in front of Harry who eyed it wearily. He didn't protest though when Lucius directed where to send the clothes and the bill. He was going to have a quiet word with the man once they were in private though.

"Where to now?" Lucius asked once they'd left the shop.

"I need boots," Harry promptly said, looking around as if a shop filled with boots would appear magically at his words.

Lucius chuckled softly and led the way.

The boot maker took one look at Harry and almost began to drool. Draco scowled and had to be held back by Lucius, so he wouldn't interfere. Harry was oblivious to the whole thing, solely focused on getting shoe wear that fit exact to his standards.

Still, Draco heaved a relieved sigh once they left the shop. He would have to keep a close eye on his mate once they went back to school. If he was able to get such a reaction out of a hundred year old man, how would a school filled with adolescences react? Suddenly the idea of getting Harry an entire new wardrobe didn't seem so smart anymore. It was too late to back out now though.

"Is there a shop that sells precious stones around here?" Harry asked looking up at Lucius bringing Draco back from his dark thoughts of revenge on anyone who as much as _looked_ at _his_ mate.

"Yes, there is. May I ask what it is you need?"

Harry looked around and leaned in to whisper: "It's a secret. A little, say we say, surprise for a nosy old man?"

Lucius bit back a grin and walked back into Diagon Alley. He was beginning to like this new Harry Potter more and more. He looked to be a perfect match for his son. Maybe this wouldn't be such a disaster after all.

HPDM

Harry walked out of the shop almost an hour later carrying several bags with precious stones and rare minerals. The shop possessed a larger selection than he'd imagined and therefore decided to really go overboard. He had the money to splurge after all and who knew when he'd be able to come back? These things really could not be bought via owl mail. You needed to hold them and feel them to be sure they were what you needed. Feeling very pleased with himself, Harry wasn't aware that he was humming softly as he considered all the things he wanted to try. The two Malfoys noted however, and they shared a look of pleasure at making him happy.

"Do you two need to go anywhere?" Harry asked coming to a sudden stop. So far, the other two had indulged him, but he felt it was time to let the others do what they needed to do.

"Not really," Lucius replied. "We need to go to Flourish and Blotts to get the extra books you and Draco need, but that is it."

Harry blinked, unable to comprehend that they had arranged for this outing just for him. "Oh. I didn't realise... Never mind. Is there any other bookshops than Flourish and Blotts?" he asked, abruptly cutting off whatever he was going to say.

"Not really. There is a second hand shop not far from here, but they mostly carry old school books. There is an antiquarian down Knockturn Alley though."

"Can we go there? Please?" Harry asked sending a pleading look up at Malfoy senior.

"Very well."

"Thanks!" Harry said his whole face lighting up in happiness.

_It should be pathetic how easy it is to please that boy and yet I can only find it tragic that such a small thing should make him so happy._ Lucius thought, leading the way back into Knockturn Alley. _Has he really had such a miserable life? I thought those Muggles pampered him. That's what we were told after all. Is Dumbledore even a bigger fool than I thought him to be? But then the boy _did_ say that they locked him up in a cupboard. Why do I have a feeling that was not all they subjected him too? I think I need to have a talk with Severus._

Blinking at the sudden dimness, Lucius realised he was inside the bookshop with no memory how he got here. That was too dangerous and he mentally berated himself. Even with the Dark Lord on his side, for the moment, there was always the risk of random attacks from Death Eaters, Voldemort supporters, or those loyal to Fudge.

"Ah! Mr. Malfoy, it is a pleasure to see you again. I have something in the back I think might interest you, if you have a moment?"

"Very well Blackshaw, but it better not be a waste of my time," Lucius stated following the proprietor. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the boys happily perusing the shelves and he had little qualm leaving them alone. This was one of the better shops and it was unlikely something would happen in the short time he would be gone.

"Here we are Mr. Malfoy. I only received this shipment yesterday," Blackshaw said with a bow, directing the aristocrat to a table with a few books on it. Picking the first one up, Lucius dismissed it out of hand. It was a rare potion book, but he already had a copy of it in the Manor. Picking up the next, he raised an eyebrow. It was a rare book on herbology, not an area he was usually interested in, but he had a feeling it would interest Harry. After all, his new career choice was to be encouraged, especially since he couldn't become an Auror while being Dracos' mate. Putting it aside, he picked up the next to last book and his eyebrow climbed even higher. If he was not mistaken, the book was written in Parseltongue. Harry would definitely be interested in that one.

Putting that one to the side as well, he picked up the last book in the pile and nodded in satisfaction. It was a book he and Severus had spent months looking for. Opening it carefully, he skimmed through it. It looked to be in good condition and he found no spells, or other nasty surprises. "I'll take it," he said, "Along with these two."

"Thank you Mr. Malfoy. It is a pleasure doing business with you." Blackshaw bowed and smiled in what he thought was an ingratiating manner, but Lucius found repulsive, making the proprietor looking like a snivelling idiot in his opinion. Not that he ever told the man as much.

Returning to the front of the shop he was relieved to find the two boys still happily browsing, no sign of other customers or trouble.

HPDM

"Why are you interested in those old books?" Draco asked, watching as Harry selected several old law texts from a shelf. "Those books were outdated by the time my great-grandparents were young," he scoffed.

"I know, but I want to see what changes have been made over the years. Most of the laws today are rubbish and I am curious to see when the Ministry became such a parody. With luck, I might find out why it happened as well. Besides, I don't have a big old Manor filled with books my ancestors collected before me. I figured out a long time ago that if I wanted a well stocked library I had to get the books myself," Harry said with a shrug, looking over an old DADA book, adding it to the pile in his arms.

"What do you mean you don't have an old Manor?" Draco asked in curiosity. "The Potters are an old family, just about as old as the Malfoys. They must have loads of estates, filled with books and other artefacts."

Harry shrugged once more. "I wouldn't know. If the Potters have a Manor, surely they would have hidden there when they went into hiding. My parents, I mean. Why did they choose a small cottage like Godric Hollow? And don't give me the crap about the Fidelius Charm. From what I've read, and from what the Blacks told me, an old Manor warded with Blood Wards would have been impossible to break into. Even by the Dark Lord and his followers when he was at the height of his powers. They would have been safe there, and no one not authorised could have entered. Pettigrew couldn't have led his Master there, no matter how much he wished to. Why didn't they hide there? It would have been the logical choice, wouldn't you say? No, something tells me that there is no Potter Manor. Therefore, I'm building my library from wherever I can. You never know when a text and its knowledge will come in handy. And even if they _do_ only sit in some room and gather dust, it will be more of a legacy to my children than I ever got," Harry said a bit sadly, adding a few more books to the growing pile.

Disturbed by what he'd been told; Draco looked at the books with a new eye and began to pursue the shelves with more interest, finding several old tombs that looked interesting. Still the things Harry had said churned at the back of his mind and he couldn't shake the feeling that more was going on than met the eye. He needed to have a serious talk to his father and soon.

HPDM

"Are you sure you don't want the rest of the store?" Lucius teased when the youths finally had picked out the books they wanted. They must have emptied a good part of the shop's inventory the aristocrat thought with an inward cringe. Not _that_ many of the books here held any value. Nevertheless, he held his tongue and paid for the books, earning a dark look from Harry who looked like he was about to protest, but an elbow from Draco caused him to hold his tongue.

Out of the shop, Lucius led his charges to Flourish and Blotts. It was getting late and he wanted to get back to the castle. For one he was getting hungry. Thus the boys must be starved by now. And two, the Veela bond would begin to strain from being in contact with all these strangers. He wished they could have waited for a few more weeks before doing this trip. But by then the boys would be immersed in their schoolwork and it would have been much more difficult to get the Headmaster's permission to leave the castle. Besides, he wasn't about to let Harry wander around in those hideous clothes a moment longer. Why no one had helped the lad to dress properly before was beyond him, but then he was beginning to find that a lot of things concerning the Boy Who Lived were beyond him. Or any decent wizard.

Dumbledore had a lot to answer for and Lucius was going to make sure the man did.

"Um, sir, is it alright if I pop into one of the shops down there? I promise I won't be more than five minutes, ten at the most. Draco knows which books I need and this way you won't have to wait for me. Please?"

Lucius blinked and found himself on the steps to the bookshop. Never before had he had such difficulties keeping his mind on what he was doing. Reluctantly he looked down where Harry was indicating. There was a sweetshop, a junkshop and a beauty parlour. Thinking that Harry wanted to buy some sweets, he reluctantly nodded his consent. Maybe the boy just wanted some privacy; Merlin knows he hasn't had much of that lately. Or maybe he wanted to get a surprise for Draco, something which should be encouraged.

"Very well, but no more than 10 minutes, if you run into trouble, don't hesitate to call on us."

"I promise. Thanks." Harry said running off down the street. Only then did Lucius remember that Harry didn't carry one of the Malfoy necklaces. Something he'd have to rectify at the earliest opportunity. After watching Harry enter the sweetshop Lucius reluctantly followed his son into Flourish and Blotts. For some reason his skin was itching, a most unpleasant feeling. Doing his best to shrug it off, he helped Draco pick out the missing schoolbooks and a few extra texts in DADA and Magical Law.

HPDM

Harry entered the sweetshop and hurried up to the disk.

"May I help you sir?" the young girl asked, a moonstruck look on her face. Harry shrugged the weird look aside and nodded his head.

"Yes, I'd like 50 boxes of Bertie Botts Every-Flavour Beans please."

"50?"

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

"Um, no, just a bit unusual. Please wait a moment," the flustered girl said walking to the back and shouting for someone named Charlie.

Jumping from foot to foot Harry impatiently waited for them to bring out his purchase but finally he was done. Rushing out of the shop, he ran to the junkshop next door and burst inside.

"Merlin and his beard child, where is the attack?" an old lady asked picking her knitting up from the floor where she'd dropped it when Harry burst through the door.

"I apologise for startling you ma'am, but my friends are waiting and I don't want to hold them up." Harry explained.

"Well isn't that considerate of you. Young people today only think of themselves," she said a bit sadly and Harry had a feeling that she was lonely.

"Yes," he nodded thinking back to a few of his schoolmates.

"So what can I do for you?"

"I want to buy all of your books." Harry replied promptly.

"They are in the back dear, behind that red drape over there. Pick out the ones you like and I'll ring them up for you."

"No, you misunderstood me. I want to buy _all_ your books." Harry told her gently.

"Goodness gracious me! That was a tall order. Have you any idea how many books we have?" she asked astonished.

"No, but I have a feeling it is a lot." Harry smiled. "What can I say? I love to read and several of my friends are in Ravenclaw; they are always looking for a book they haven't heard of yet." He chuckled, winking saucily.

"Then who am I to stand between a Ravenclaw and their books?" the old lady laughed, looking years younger. "Now the books are a Sickle a piece. To pack them all will take some time I'm afraid," she said attempting to get business like, but failed due to being all flustered at the unexpected situation she found herself in.

"How about this?" Harry suggested. "I will give you some Galleons and you pack all the books that amount will give me. Then you can find out how many books there are left and tell me and I'll send you the rest of the money, how's that?" Harry asked aware of the time ticking away. For some reason he didn't want the Malfoys to know he was in here.

Digging into his money bag he pulled out handfuls of galleons, placing them on the counter. "This should be about 500 galleons to start with. Send the books to Hogwarts in the name of Harry Potter with the note of how much I still owe you. Deal?"

"Goodness gracious me! Harry Potter!" the old woman looked even more flustered and for a horrified moment, Harry thought she was going to bow to him. In the end, she just clutched her knitting closer to her chest. "It will be an honour sir, to think that Harry Potter would walk in to my shop, all polite no less. My, my, my, what _is_ the world coming too?"

Harry had a feeling he should take offence at the old woman's prattle, but he found the entire situation hilarious. He bit back his laughter though, not wanting to offend the shop owner.

"Do we have a deal?" he asked once more.

"Yes, of course. Where are my manners? I apologise young sir. The books will be sent to Hogwarts as soon as I've got them packed. You have my word."

"Thank you. I'm looking forward to returning at a time when I have the time to properly browse your store." he smiled and with a small nod he left. His time was up and he really didn't want to face two angry Malfoys.

* * *

**Next time:  
**Dumbledore tangles with Salazar Slytherin.  
Guess who the winner is?  
Stay tuned. 


	11. An unhappy Headmaster

**Disclaimer: **I don't own them so please don't sue.

This chapter has been re-posted to fix the grammatical errors. A big thank you to Vaughn for all her help.

* * *

**An unhappy Headmaster**

"Now I remember why I don't like shopping," Harry sighed, collapsing on the couch, not caring where his bags ended up.

"Come now, love, it wasn't that bad," Draco teased, settling next to Harry, running his finger through the dark hair.

"No, it could have been worse. At least no one was gawking at me, and only one lady recognised me, and she didn't make much of a fuss," Harry conceded.

Draco paused. Harry hadn't noticed the way people had been eyeing him? Opening his mouth to point that fact out to his clueless mate, he abruptly closed it again. It would be much easier on his nerves if his mate remained oblivious. Not that he thought Harry would chose someone else, but he wasn't about to risk competition until he had a firmer grip on Harry's affection and love.

Lucius noted his son's reaction and nodded his head in approval. It really was unnecessary to alert the boy to that little detail. "I am going to go and change and then I am ordering some food. Would you care to join me for a bite to eat?"

Both boys nodded vigorously. Now that the aristocrat had brought up food, the two of them felt how utterly empty their stomachs were.

"I'll be right with you, Father," Draco said, popping up from the couch and heading for his room and a quick shower.

Harry was slower to get up though, giving the older man a calculating look. "Sir, are you doing anything special tonight?"

"Not that I am aware of," Lucius replied a bit wearily, not liking the way Harry was looking at him.

"Good! Would you mind meeting with me and discussing the DA? Draco may join as well, if he is interested. With Dumbledore granting access to the third year and up, I have a feeling there will be plenty of kids wanting to join. The stupid bastard, why did he make such an announcement without asking me first?"

"To make sure you wouldn't refuse him. Why tonight though?"

"Because I am supposed to meet with the old fool tonight at eight, so that he can teach me Occlumency," Harry explained with a sweet smile. "But what if I have plans with you, and everyone knows what a busy man you are. Well, it isn't my fault I can't be in two places at once, is it? I am sure the Headmaster will understand."

"Very well, you imp. I will come here shortly before eight o'clock, and we can make a sketchy plan for the first few meetings," Lucius allowed with a soft chuckle. The child was turning into a true Slytherin before his very eyes. How the boy had avoided being sorted into the snake house was beyond him. Slytherin was clearly Potter's true House. Shaking his head, he left to take his own shower and to change his clothes. Shopping was always such a dirty business, especially if you spent much of the time outside Diagon Alley.

HPDM

Albus Dumbledore was not a happy wizard. First, there had been that embarrassing scene earlier with Fudge. It had taken a lot of sweet-talking and reassurance that the whole thing was nothing but a prank by one of the children. It had helped somewhat that the lemon drop he'd taken immediately after the Minister had also tasted foul -- human blood if he wasn't mistaken -- causing him to splutter and spit it out as well. Still, it had taken him almost ten minutes to apologise, soothe ruffled feathers, and avoid being taken to the Ministry for questioning. Once he found out whom the prankster was, he was going to serve detention with Severus for three months!

What he really wanted to know though was how they had gotten in. A careful check of his wards had shown that no one had been there but those authorized to be there, and he didn't think anyone on his staff would play such a rotten prank. Not on him. Fawkes knew something, but the bird wasn't talking. He just looked insufferably smug.

To top that off, Potter hadn't shown up for their eight o'clock meeting and it was now twenty past eight. The boy needed a reminder that he was still a student of this school, and if he didn't like it, he could return to those relatives of his! That should work as a lovely threat... No, blast it all. He'd forgotten about the Malfoys. They wouldn't allow him to ship the boy off to some Muggles, and would simply bring him home to their Manor, and Albus wasn't prepared to let _that_ happen.

No, he needed Harry here, where he could keep an eye on him. He was still waiting for the 'power the Dark Lord knows not' to manifest. He had thought it would happen during Harry's birthday, but nothing had happened. The only thing notable was that the boy's temper got worse. Another thing he needed to tend to. He couldn't have the child blowing up a classroom filled with students. The parents would come down on his head for sure if he allowed such a thing to happen. Perhaps if he kept him out of Potions? For some reason, Harry and Severus were always a violate mix. But no, Severus and Lucius would surely protest against that since it meant Draco couldn't attend either.

Blast it all to the hell! He was beginning to think that Harry being Draco's mate was a bad thing, a very bad thing.

Ah, there was the portrait. Harry better have a _very_ good reason for not coming to his office tonight.

"Aconite," Albus stated, figuring the Potions Master had created the new password. The man did so love his potions and their ingredients. The painting swung open, and Dumbledore stepped inside, coming to an abrupt halt once the surroundings registered in his mind. Fuming, he walked back out and faced the knight.

"Why were you removed and who did it?" he demanded. If either Severus or Lucius were responsible for this, he would have their heads!

"I take it they did not appreciate my giving you the current password, Headmaster. They behaved most rudely and replaced me with some bloke I did not get a good look at," the knight complained, pulling off his helmet. "Oh, the agony…Ending up guarding an empty classroom…The horror. The ..."

"Who moved you?" Albus asked impatiently, not wishing to spend the entire evening listening to the other's complaints.

"Why the children did, the little hooligans!"

"Thank you, Sir Knight; I apologise for your indignity and will endeavour to find something more suitable for you to guard."

"Oh, thank you, kind Sir! I shall write you a sonnet to express my gratitude!"

However, Dumbledore had already stalked off. His day was just getting better and better. Scowling, he came to a halt before an unfortunately familiar face. "Salazar Slytherin! How did _you_ end up here?" he demanded.

"Do my eyes betray me, or is it the Headmaster who is out taking a stroll?" Salazar mocked. "As for how I got here, it all began when I and a good friend of mine began to deplore of the education of the youths in our vicinity."

"That is not what I meant and you know it!" Dumbledore snapped, getting angry. Talking with Slytherin always gave him a headache, and the Founder never gave him the respect he deserved. Which is why he had had his portraits stacked away at the far corners of the castle, where no one ever ventured. Apparently, someone had stumbled across one of them and decided to put him to good use.

"My apologies, my dear Headmaster, what was it you inquired about then?"

"Who made you guard over these quarters?"

"Ahh, was _that_ what you wanted to know? How silly of me. It was the young Lord of course."

"Young Lord?" Albus repeated baffled. "What young Lord?"

"That would be telling, and I do not kiss and tell. What type of man do you take me for?" Salazar demanded, striking a pose. He _so_ loved taking pompous windbags down a peg or two.

Dumbledore pinched the bridge of his nose and counted to ten. Then he counted again just to be sure not to hex the painting back to the Dark Ages. "Would you please open up?" he gritted out through clenched teeth.

"Password?" Salazar asked in a sugary sweet voice.

"Aconite."

"I am so sorry, that is not the correct password."

"Then what is it?"

"I'm afraid that is not within my powers to inform you."

"Nonsense, I am the Headmaster of this school. You must obey me!"

"And I am one of the Founders of this school. Wouldn't that imply that you have to obey me?" Salazar mused. "A thorny little problem we have, don't you agree? If only Rowena was here, she _so_ loved solving puzzles like these."

"Stop this nonsense, or I'll have you removed from here and destroyed."

"Sorry, old man, but Hogwarts won't allow you to harm me. As you well know," Salazar informed the now fuming Headmaster with a smug smirk.

"Could you at least inform Harry that I wish to speak with him?"

"But of course! I'll be happy to do that for you. Why didn't you ask me to do that before? Could have saved both of us a lot of time and bother," Salazar said, disappearing from his painting.

He shortly returned with a hangdog expression. "I am so sorry, sir, but there appears to be no paintings in the rooms inside, I cannot alert them to your presence."

Albus turned away with a curse and began to pace. There had to be a way to get past that blasted painting!

Salazar leaned against the edge of his frame, impressed in spite of himself, as he listened to the esteemed Albus Dumbledore spend the next ten minutes cursing vehemently in several languages.

"Can you at least tell me who are inside?" Albus asked after having vented some of his temper.

Salazar thought for a moment. "Two Malfoys and a Potter," he eventually replied.

"Then will you please go find Severus Snape and ask him to come here?"

"I am sorry, Headmaster, but I am the guard of these chambers, not a messenger boy. I am sure you understand why I have to decline your request."

Albus twirled around with a vile curse and stalked back to the knight. At least he would do as told and not give him a headache!

HPDM

"You wanted to see me, Headmaster?" Severus asked coolly, walking up to where Dumbledore was pacing back and forth, mumbling under his breath.

"Yes!" he snapped, but immediately reined in his temper. "Yes," he said in a much calmer manner. "I had a meeting with Harry earlier tonight, but he did not show up. Slytherin here refuses to let me in and apparently there are no paintings inside, an oversight I will rectify immediately, as he can't inform Harry that I am here. I assume you have the password, considering your relationship with young Malfoy?"

"Yes, I do have it," Severus replied, thinking furiously. So, Harry was showing his independence. Good for the boy. He did not want to let Albus inside, but he could see no way out of it. Albus had his hooks in him too deeply for him to buck his yoke. Sighing softly, he stepped up to the portrait and whispered the password, knowing full well that even with it, Albus wouldn't be able to enter. However, the longer that information was kept from him, the better.

Given the password, Salazar was forced to open up, and Albus pushed Severus to the side and stormed inside. The Potion Master hesitated for a moment, but decided that since Dumbledore had dragged him all the way across the castle, he was going to watch the show.

Stepping inside, he found the Headmaster scowling darkly at the occupants. The man must really be rattled for him to show his emotions so freely, Severus mused. Usually you got more true emotions from a rock than from Albus Dumbledore.

"Harry, I believe we had a meeting tonight," Albus said, after taking a deep breath. It would not do to start the conversation by shouting at the boy. Kindness and a firm hand, that was the ticket, and if that didn't help, a heavy dose of guilt.

"Yes, Headmaster," Harry acknowledged, not taking his eyes off the chart he was creating.

"May I ask why you did not attend?" Albus asked with forced civility.

"Yes, Sir," Harry replied, still focused on his chart.

"Yes, what?" Dumbledore frowned, not understanding the answer.

"Yes, you may ask why I didn't attend," Harry replied cheerfully.

"Harry," Lucius warned gently, although all he wanted was to laugh his head off. He didn't think anyone had ever managed to come out on top of one of Dumbledore's little chats.

"Sorry, Sir," Harry murmured, looking up briefly from what he was doing.

Albus fumed. Malfoy was getting more respect than he was. He would put an end to _that_ as soon as possible.

"Harry, why didn't you come to our meeting? You know how important it is for you to learn this skill."

"I'm not sure I agree with you, Headmaster. Besides, all it gave me last year was a headache, and made it easier for Voldemort to access my mind," Harry replied, finally looking up at Dumbledore, who winced slightly.

"I am sorry to hear that, but you know my reasons," he said gently with a hint of scolding in his voice. "And that is why I will be teaching you this year."

"I appreciate the offer, but I am going to decline," Harry stated firmly, looking back at his chart before Dumbledore could establish a _Legilimens_ link between them.

"I'm afraid you can't refuse, Harry. Too much is at stake for you to leave your mind unguarded any longer."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why is it dangerous? You haven't bothered with it since Professor Snape stopped giving me lessons. Why is it so urgent to suddenly begin them again?"

"Because you know the entire content of the prophesy, Harry, and we can't let that information get back to Voldemort."

"Why not?"

Albus frowned; the boy was being stubborn and wilful; he _really_ needed to change that child's attitude.

"Because your life will be in even more danger if he finds out."

"Why?" Harry asked again. "Why is it so dangerous? I am already his number one enemy. The prophesy doesn't say how to defeat him, only that I have the power to do so. Why is it so dangerous for both sides to know this? I can understand why it was hidden while I was a baby, but I am not a child anymore. I am over sixteen and fully capable of taking care of myself. Besides, as long as I reside here, I'm safe, right? Isn't that what everyone says? That Hogwarts is the safest place to be, barring Gringotts?"

"Harry, you know that is not quite true when it comes to you," Albus reminded him gently.

"And maybe if a certain Headmaster didn't do his damnest to toss me and old Voldie together, that statement would be true for me as well!" Harry spat, beginning to get angry.

"I have not tried to, as you put it, toss you and Voldemort together, Harry. I have done my very best to give you a carefree childhood, as you very well know. However, it is time for you to shoulder your responsibilities, and one of those is learning _Occlumency_. It is too late tonight for us to get started, so we will have our first lesson tomorrow morning instead. Come to my office at nine o'clock." Dumbledore turned to leave, but was stopped by Harry's reply.

"No."

"Harry...!" Albus warned.

"No! I will not have you muck about in my head! I don't care if Voldie finds out about the blasted prophesy! I don't care if he sends me false visions; there is no one left he can use against me!" Harry snarled, his eyes glowing an eerie green. "You no longer have any control of my life and I will not bow down to you."

"Harry..."

"The child has declined your offer, Albus. You cannot force him," Lucius said quietly, deciding it was time to step in before something irreversible happened.

"He needs to learn Occlumency, Lucius. It is too dangerous for him not to shield his mind. He knows too many secrets to allow him to wander around unprotected."

"Then I will teach him," Lucius said simply. "It is time for Draco to learn that skill anyway, I can just as easily teach them both.

"But..." For the first time in years, Albus floundered. This was not how it was supposed to happen. However, it was clear that he couldn't do anything tonight. His mistake had been not to wait until Harry was alone.

"Very well, thank you, Lucius for your kind offer," he managed to grit out with a smile. "That reminds me, I noticed earlier today that neither of you are taking DADA, may I-, that is, why ever not? Surely you must both realise how important that subject is."

"We do," Draco answered simply. "And that is why we are studying it independently. Frankly, neither Harry nor I have much faith in your Defence teachers, and figured that we will learn more on our own."

"I see. I am afraid I cannot allow that though. This year's teacher is very competent," Albus explained, ignoring the derisive snort from Severus. "And I am sure she will be able to teach you a lot you can't learn from merely reading a book," he continued, doing his best to sound persuasive.

"Headmaster, I find it commendable that you are so concerned for your student's safety, but the fact remains that you can not force them to take DADA," Lucius stepped in once more. "Furthermore, they have my permission to study Defence independently. I think young Harry here, at the very least, has proven that he is capable of such a thing, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes, yes, but he can not be allowed to lead the defence club unless he is taking Defence," Albus said, pulling out his triumph card.

"Since that idea was yours, I don't object to being banned from leading the DA," Harry said calmly, holding out the chart he'd been working on. "Here, maybe the next leader will have some use for the ideas Lucius and I have come up with," he added.

"If Lucius isn't assisting with the DA, I cannot permit him to stay in the castle," Albus said, doing his best to hide his desperation. This was _not_ going the way he expected.

"Who said Mr. Malfoy can't help with the club? Just because I'm not leading it doesn't mean the new leader won't need help keeping control over the students." Harry shrugged, unconcerned.

"Harry, that club is yours. I cannot allow it to run if you are not leading it."

"Then start another club that isn't associated with me," Harry said, really not caring one way or the other.

"Harry, why are you so difficult about this?" Albus asked, getting hold of his emotions. He really shouldn't have let Slytherin get to him like he had. He should have kept his cool, and then this entire squabble could have been avoided.

"Can you really blame me, Headmaster? I have been here for five years, and for four years the Defence teachers has done their best to harm, if not kill, me. I think I am safer studying on my own than subjecting myself to another of your choices. As for the DA, we started that when it became clear that Umbridge wasn't going to teach us any defence, only a lot of theoretic drivel. If this year's teacher is as good as you say, there is no need for the DA. If she isn't, I'm sure those interested will start up a new club, with or without your permission.

"Now, if you like, I'll lead the new DA -- although you could have had the decency to ask me before promising my services -- otherwise, find someone else. Either way it's fine with me. I will not, however, take Defence, I have enough on my plate with the classes I _wish_ to take. Now, if there is nothing else? I am tired and want to retire."

"I will consider what you have said and get back to you about both the DA and the Defence class. There is one more thing though. You will give me the password to these rooms and I will send one of the house-elves to put up a painting in each room, that way you will be notified if someone is at the door and wants access."

"Very well." Harry gave in, earning himself several startled looks. "The password is: 'in your dreams', and if you don't mind, we will provide the paintings ourselves. I wouldn't want to be stuck with a gossiper in here, you understand," Harry said, smiling sweetly. "If that is all, I am biding you good night," he added, getting up from the table and walking into his room, shutting the door behind him firmly.

"Good night to you. Are you coming, Severus?" Albus said, pleased at partly getting his way. All he needed to do was get hold of himself and stop reacting to the situation.

"No, I have a question for Draco concerning one of his essays. I might as well get that out of the way after having my evening ruined," Severus said, settling into the chair Harry had vacated.

"Very well, I trust I will see you both tomorrow morning." Albus nodded to the two adults, ignored Draco, and sailed out of the room. Harry just needed some reminders of who was in charge, that was all. He would make sure to corner him at first opportunity when he was alone, and things would be back on track. Whistling a merry tune, Dumbledore retreated to his office, plonked down in his seat, and plopped a lemon drop into his mouth. And promptly choked -- boiled cabbage. Glowering, he emptied the bowl and refilled it from a fresh bag, making sure it had not been tampered with. Plopping a lemon drop into his mouth carefully, he smiled blissfully, as it tasted as it should. Just wait until he found the one responsible!

HPDM

"Has he left?" Harry asked several minutes later, popping his head through the door.

"Yes, he is gone."

"Good!"

"I can't believe you agreed to put up paintings in here, Harry!" Draco complained. "That old fool will use them to spy on us!"

"I know. But what if there is nothing that can reveal our secrets?" Harry asked with a grin.

"Huh?"

"What if we put up a few landscapes on the walls? No one said anything about the motif, only that we needed something to enable Zar to come and get us when we have guests."

"That's bloody brilliant!" Draco beamed at his mate.

"Language son," Lucius murmured, nodding his head in agreement, "but where to find some? I can't remember ever seeing a painting with no people in them at the Manor, or the galleries," he mused. "And finding a painter to take a commission could take forever. There are so few with skill today," he bemoaned mockingly.

"Or we could have Draco here paint something," Harry suggested. "What?" he asked at the stares that earned him. "I've seen you sketching, Draco, I'm sure you could put something together."

"In your dreams, Potter!" Draco snorted.

"Then I guess we'll just have to wait until we've found the right painter and the right motifs. After all, we never said _when_ we would put the things up, only that we were going to." Harry smirked.

"It will be interesting to see if your Slytherin side will survive my Potions class," Severus drawled. "I think I am going to enjoy teaching the sixth years this year," he stated, leaning back in his chair. "Anyone up for some tea?"

HPDM

Lucius sat slouching in an armchair, staring into the flickering flames in the fireplace. His long legs were stretched out before him, crossed at the ankles, and a glass of white wine dangled forgotten from slim, elegant fingers.

Something kept niggling at the back of his mind, but he couldn't quite grasp what it was. Letting his mind roam as it wished, he recalled moments during their shopping trip. The way Henri had spluttered when the boy had demanded leather. The look on Harry's face when he had been dressed in Sean's usual fare. Chuckling softly at that image, he suddenly frowned. Freezing the memory in his mind, he examined it closer. Something was different with Harry, but what? Letting the memory roll forward, he froze it once more when Draco was standing next to him, critically looking over the mirror image Harry had dressed. Was it his imagination, or did the boy standing on the stool seem taller? But why would Harry hide such a thing? Deciding to let the question be for now, Lucius climbed to his feet and went to bed.

Tomorrow was a new day, and he had a lot to do.

**

* * *

Next time:  
**The boys will look through a lot of books,  
and Harry makes a rare find.  
Stay tuned… 


	12. Books, books and more books

**Disclaimer: **I'm getting tired of writing these things, I think it is rather obvious that I don't own Harry Potter, and that all rights to him belongs to Rowling.

**A/N:** I messed up with the teaser for this chapter. The reason why Harry bought all those books will be revealed in two chapters time, not now. My apologies please don't flame me.

**Summary:  
**Draco finds his mate and a tentative relationship is beginning to build  
Shopping with two Malfoys  
Dumbledore butt heads with Salazar Slytherin

This will in time be a slash-story. Don't like it? Don't read it.

A big thank you to Keikokin for being my beta-reader.

**

* * *

Books, books and more books **

**Day three - Wednesday**

Harry woke early the next morning and indulged himself in an old-fashioned lay-in. When he could remain in bed no longer, he reluctantly threw the covers aside, and climbed out of the bed. A quick shower ensured he became fully awake and he walked back into the bedroom, rubbing a towel over his hair. Maybe he should drop the glamour that hid its new length? It could always be explained away with a spell or potion. Putting the notion aside for later, he ambled over to the large wardrobe filling most of one of the walls.

Stopping in front of it, Harry pulled the doors open and took out a fresh set of underwear. It had been bloody embarrassing looking over the Seven Sin's selection of underwear, trying to find something that wasn't made of leather and wasn't shaped as a thong. Draco had drooled over some of the items and had tried to talk Harry into buying them; causing Harry to turn several shades of red by the time they were finished. Fortunately, Lucius had been there and had put a stop to his son's shenanigans, keeping a businesslike attitude the entire time.

Slipping the underwear over his hips, Harry considered his vast collection of shirts. Lucius really had gone overboard there and he reminded himself to talk to the blond and make sure he paid back the money Mr. Malfoy had spent on him.

Hesitating briefly, Harry pulled out the leather trousers done in blood red and pulled them on. They were a bit stiff, but fit nicely just as the pair he'd tried out in Sean's fitting room. Adding a deep black silk shirt and the vest made in the same colour as the trousers, Harry looked himself over in the full length mirror. Not bad, not bad at all. Settling on the bed, he pulled on his boots, opting to tuck the trousers inside the bootlegs. Standing up he frowned when he caught sight of his reflection. The black boots didn't fit at all. He wasn't sure what was wrong with them, but they somehow ruined the ensemble. Shrugging, he turned them the same colour as the trousers, much better. Nodding in satisfaction, Harry left the bedroom to find some breakfast.

He found Draco sitting at the table, sketching once more. Harry raised an eyebrow. It clearly was more than a way to pass time. You didn't work so diligently at something unless you had a real interest._ I wonder if he'll show me what he's sketching if I asked?_

Not feeling secure enough with their tentative friendship to be nosy, Harry decided to ask some other time, setting for a soft, "Good morning Draco."

Draco looked up startled; he hadn't heard the other enter the room. Then his eyes widened and he grinned. "Looking good there Harry. Those clothes suit you," he said getting up from his chair to slowly, almost predatorily, walk around his mate to fully take in how he looked.

Harry squirmed uncomfortably and in an attempt to turn the attention away from himself said, "You're not so bad looking yourself." And indeed the Veela looked very handsome dressed in black leather and a pale green shirt. Silk of course.

"Why thank you kind sir," Draco replied with a small bow. He straightened and was about to say something more when there was a pecking sound on the window. Opening it an owl flew inside settling on Harry's shoulder, holding out its leg and the scroll tied to it.

"Thank you." Harry said untying the letter and opened it.

_Dear Sweetie,_

_In the bag you will find the transporter for the crate with your books.  
__Having done a quick inventory, the rest of my stock amounts to 483 Galleons and 11 Sickles, if you are still interested in them that is. _

_While I was packing, I remembered that my great-grandfather gathered several trunks worth of books and stuff that he for some reason never bothered to include into the shops inventory. If you are interested, you may buy them, unseen, for 15 Galleons apiece. I do not know precisely what they contain, but I do know that my great-grandfather had a nose for finding valuable and unusual things. Please let me know if you are interested. _

_Sincerely,  
__Abigail Sweetwater_

Harry tilted his head to the side as he thought. Was he interested? 15 Galleons apiece wasn't much money, unless there were hundreds of trunks, but he had a feeling that wasn't the case.

Walking carefully to the table, not wanting to disturb the owl, Harry settled down to write his reply, offering the owl some water and one of Hedwig's treats. The owl hooted its thanks and drank deeply of the water.

Opening the pouch, Harry found a stone disk that he carefully placed on the table. Calling his moneybag to him, he counted out the required sum and placed it in the pouch, adding a feather light charm to be on the safe side. Picking up a quill he thoughtfully stroked the tip against his chin as he tried to formulate what he wanted to say.

_Dear sweet lady,_

_I thank you for your swift service and I hope you did not spend the entire night slaving away to fulfil my request._

Harry sniggered to himself, but Abigail had set the tone in her letter and besides, he liked her.

_I have included the amount you asked for and are eagerly awaiting your next shipment._

_Yes, I am interested in your great-grandfather's trunks and will gladly buy them unseen if you were to tell me how many of them there are. _

_Sincerely,  
__Harry Potter_

Once the letter and pouch had been secured to its legs the owl promptly took off, flying out the still open window.

"Who was that?" Draco asked trying to sound casual and disinterested, but inside he was burning up with curiosity mixed with some jealousy. Was it a rival for his mate's affection?

"Nothing important," Harry replied not noticing the storm brewing in silver eyes. His focus was on the strange stone disk. "Hey Draco, what's this?"

Draco plucked the disk out of Harry's fingers and examined it. "It's a transporter," he answered giving it back to the other boy.

"How does it work?"

"Were you given a password?"

"Umm, no?" Harry said after scanning the letter quickly.

"Then all you need to do is tap it twice with your wand. Make sure your not holding it when you do so and that you are doing it someplace with enough space."

"But what does it do?"

"I'm guessing you bought something yesterday," Draco said trying to fish for information.

Harry merely nodded.

"Whatever you bought must have been too large or too heavy for the owl to carry, so the shop sent you a transporter disk. They work like a portkey, but instead of taking you to them; it is taking what you bought from there to here."

Harry nodded. It made sense. Fingering the disk he headed to his room, but half-way there he paused and glanced back at Draco. On one hand, he didn't want to clutter up the living room, and if the books only cost a Sickle the amount of books he'd gotten must be huge. However, if he placed the crate or whatever in his room that meant that he'd spend a lot of time in a room Draco could not enter and that wasn't exactly fair to the Veela. Hesitating a bit more he walked to the wall next to his door. Moving the small table standing there aside, he placed the disk on the floor and tapped it twice with his wand as Draco had dictated. There was a flash of light and a large trunk appeared where the disk had been.

Staring at the large steamer trunk Harry blinked stupidly. Stepping up to it, he flipped the lid open and chuckled. It was filled with minimized books, each book barely the size of his palm.

"Books? You've bought more books? What are you? A Ravenclaw in disguise?" Draco demanded coming to a halt beside Harry.

"No. Just following advice from one of your ancestors," Harry sniggered dropping to his knees pulling out a few books, examining them, noting absentmindedly that they regained their original size the moment they left the trunk.

Draco snorted but knelt beside his mate and began to examine the books as well. After all, he was curious what kind of books Harry had gotten and he couldn't help wonder _where _he'd gotten them from.

HPDM

Silence reigned for the next half hour as Draco sat reading a diary written by a French wizard named Claude de Merle, whom he suspected was a distant relative of his. He'd have to ask his father to be absolutely sure.

Harry on the other hand was still picking up books only giving each a cursory glance, sorting them loosely after language. Picking up a worn leather journal, he opened it and gave it a curious glance. His eyes widened slightly when he saw it was written in runes and he haltingly translated what was written on the first page, the ink faded with time.

"Hey, Draco, does this say what I think it says?" he asked nudging the blond with a sharp elbow. He'd learned some runes during the summer, but he was no way near fluent.

Annoyed, Draco accepted the journal and read the inscription. He gasped and the book fell from nerveless fingers.

"You ok?" Harry asked in concern picking the book back up.

"Give me that!" Draco almost shouted and grabbed the book from Harry, reading the first page once more, this time out loud. "This is the private work journal of Killian Longbottom. Harry do you know what this is?"

"A journal written by one of Neville's ancestors?" Harry ventured a guess.

Draco snorted. "No, you moron! This is the legendary journal of Killian Longbottom! I can't believe it!"

"Why? What's so special about him?"

"Don't you know? Don't you realise what a find this is?" Draco was getting more and more agitated.

"Take a deep breath Draco. That's it, just breathe," Harry soothed not understanding why someone could get so worked up about an old book.

"Killian Longbottom lived about eight hundred years ago. He was a Potion Master, most considered him a genius. During his time, he created loads and loads of new potions or improved those that already existed. Many of the potions we use today have its beginning in Longbottom's lab.

"When he died lots of people wanted to get their hands on his work journal, but no one could find it. Not even his heir. It is said that Longbottom left a letter with clues as to where his journal was hidden, but no one has been able to solve it and some even think that the letter is a forgery. For this book to turn up like this, it's... it's like as if Merlin himself had suddenly appeared in the room." Draco tried to explain.

"Oh," Harry said softly taking the book back and carefully flipped through it. "Do you think Severus would like a copy?"

"Like?" Draco spluttered. "Harry he'd willingly give you his first born child just for the chance of looking through it!"

Harry wrinkled his nose. "He can keep it," he stated getting to his feet. "Be right back," he said over his shoulder and disappeared into his room.

True to his word he re-entered the sitting room only moments later, his arms filled with parchment, the book, and a box of Bertie Botts.

"Would you mind sorting these?" he asked holding out the box to Draco who grumbled, but complied.

"Why don't you do this the way everyone else does? By tasting them?" he asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Because, I've never developed a taste for them, normally I'd just use whatever bean I'd grab, but I figured you'd want the nice tasting ones. If you're not interested you don't have to, I'm sorry," Harry apologised pulling his wand to put them all back in the box.

"Don't you dare!" Draco growled. "I was curious, that's all. Unlike you, I want them. I like them," he explained popping a yellow one into his mouth. "Mmm, vanilla custard."

"I don't understand how you can know by just looking at them," Harry said shaking his head.

"I can't. I have to touch them as well. I've always been able to tell, ever since I was little," Draco replied working diligently. It didn't take long before there were two neat piles, one which went back into the box. Draco indicated for Harry that the other pile was his to do with as he pleased.

Nodding with a small smile in thanks, Harry transfigured one of the beans into a bowl and placed the rest of them in it. Placing the journal on the table, he placed a stack of parchment next to it, making sure the two touched. Lastly, he placed a hand full of beans on top of the stack of parchment.

Settling comfortably in a chair Harry put one hand on the journal, and one atop the small pile of beans and began to chant a spell.

Draco started at the hissing coming from his mate, but then he realised he was talking in Parseltongue. A soft bluish glow surrounded each of Harry's hands. The light grew and then it vanished and on the table were two identical journals, except one looked brand new and the other looked decidedly shabby next to it.

Seeing Draco's look, Harry picked up the new copy and handed it to him. Draco accepted it looking as if he'd been given Merlin's legendary staff, caressing the leather lovingly.

Harry watched him in amusement for a few moments, but then he turned his attention back to what he was doing and prepared to make another copy. If the journal was that important, he didn't want the original to leave these rooms. But he didn't want there to be a fight between Draco and Severus either about whose turn it was to read it. Better to create each man a copy while he was at it and thus preserve the peace in the family.

Once the second copy was done, Harry slumped back into his chair, feeling tired and drained. Draco looked up sharply from his reading and snapped his fingers ordering breakfast for the two of them.

"How in Merlin's name did you manage to copy the Black library if creating two copies tired you out this much?" he demanded fussing over Harry. "And how did you come up with the idea to use Bertie Botts Every-Flavour Beans to transfigure the cover? Won't it deteriorate with time?"

"When I copied the Black library I was using another spell, and I was using my anger. If it hadn't been for all that work, I'd flattened the place I was staying at several times over," Harry replied with an amused smile. "As for the beans; I don't think the cover will deteriorate with time. I guess I could create the copy out of thin air but that takes much more power and magic. After all, it is easier to create something out of something else," he teased using one of McGonagall's favourite sayings.

"Ugh, don't remind me! But why the beans?" Draco persisted.

Harry shrugged staring down at the table. "With Dumbledore and the Order of Phoenix keeping close watch on me I had difficulty getting what I needed. I couldn't buy parchment beside what I'd need for the school year, and I couldn't get empty journals for the same reason. They would all get suspicious and ask me what I want it for. However, a teenaged boy is supposed to be a bottomless pit and no one minded buying sweets for me. So I used what I could and the magic did the rest."

Draco silently fumed. How dare they treat his mate in such a fashion! "I understand, I think, but Harry, there is no more need for you to make do. If you want something or if you need something, tell father or me, and we will be happy to get it for you if it is within our power. And as Malfoys there isn't much we can't get," Draco stated arrogantly making Harry laugh.

"There, that's better. Now eat while the food is hot," Draco ordered settling at the table as well, picking up the fork with his right hand and the journal with his left, forgetting everything as he sank into the ancient world of potions.

Harry didn't take offence. He merely shook his head while laughing softly. Soon the delicious smells of the food caused him to forget everything else and he dug in, eating heartily.

HPDM

With a soft sigh, Harry put down his cutlery and picked up his tea cup. Taking a drink from it, he looked over at Draco for the first time since he began eating. Snorting a laugh he watched as the blond sat there utterly oblivious to the world, his eyes glued to a page in the journal. His right elbow was planted on the table and a fork filled with scrambled eggs was held half way to the mouth, forgotten; the eggs now cold and unappetising.

"Hey, Draco! Are you finished?" Harry called reaching over and gently nudging the hand holding the fork. By the looks of it, the blond had only had three bites of his breakfast, if that. The fork and its content fell to the table with a clutter as Draco started and looked up at him with glazed eyes, his mind still on potions.

"Did you say something?" he muttered, eyes already going back to the journal.

Harry laughed. "Hey, air head, I thought you were hungry?"

"Hungry?" Draco asked still not fully conscious of his surroundings.

"_Accio_ Longbottom's Journal," Harry said, elegantly catching the book as it came sailing towards him.

Draco blinked, then frowned. "Hey! I was reading that you know!" he complained.

"I know. But I thought you were hungry? Remember breakfast?" Harry teased not repenting in the least.

"Breakfast?" Draco repeated looking down. "Oh," he blushed as he realised what had happened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ignore you like that."

"Hey, I don't mind." Harry said soothingly putting the book down by Draco's side. "I just wanted to make sure you ate something."

"Oh. Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Harry smiled gently sending the remains of his own breakfast back to the kitchen. "How about some tea and croissants? That must be rather cold and unappealing by now."

Draco looked down at his tray, poking his eggs and bacon with the fork. Putting it down with a look of distaste he nodded and Harry called for a House elf.

Having made sure that Draco ate enough to sustain him to lunch, Harry settled to work on Snape's last potion essay. Looking over the assignment '_Discuss the different stages when brewing Veritaserum_', he couldn't help but feel there was a trap somewhere in there. Not sure what it was he nibbled on his quill and wrote:

_**When brewing Veritaserum you have to be diligent and mindful of every detail of the different stages of the potion. If you are not diligent you will end up with an acid that will corrode human flesh, or a truth potion that is about as useful as dishwater.**_

_There that sounded good_ he thought._It will show that I know some of the dangers of brewing the thing incorrectly and that you need to have a mature attitude if you are to make this stuff. _

He had read up on the potion last night after he had retired to bed and he felt fairly competent that he now understood the different stages. He was about to list the ingredients, but paused and read the assignment once more.

_Nope, he isn't asking how to make Veritaserum, he wants us to discuss the different stages. I'm gonna take a risk and skip the list of ingredients_ Harry thought, picking up the quill again.

_**You begin the process with filling the cauldron with three parts pure water and one part unicorn tears. It is important to get the mix exactly right. If there is too much water, the tears will be weakened and the finished potion will not force the drinker to speak the truth. Add too little water and the tears will react violently with the griffin feathers, which are added at a later stage, risking the potion to blow up in the brewer's face.**_

Harry paused and read through what he had written. Nodding in satisfaction, he checked his potion book to make sure he remembered the next step correctly.

HPDM

It was with a pleased smile that Harry signed his name with flourish, happy to have finished the thing. Reading it through once more he cast the spell to check on his spelling. Satisfied, he created a copy of the essay adding a copyright spell one of the Black ancestors had suggested to him. Better to be safe than sorry after all. He only hoped Professor Snape wouldn't blow a fuse when he realised the essay was almost 2 feet too long. He wasn't about to edit it though and risk missing some vital part of the process.

Looking over at Draco Harry couldn't help but laugh, the blond was still deep within the journal, absolutely dead to the world. Deciding to forgo his usual second opinion Harry went to get the other essay wanting to hand them over to Severus now, along with Longbottom's journal.

"Hey Draco, I'm going to head down to the dungeon to see Professor Snape. Then I'll head outside for a bit to get some fresh air. Wanna come?"

"Mm-hmm," the Veela murmured and Harry was positive the other hadn't heard a word of what he'd said. Grinning he wrote a note, placing it beside Draco and left.

Harry was almost at the potions classroom when a panting Draco landed at this side.

"Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?" he demanded looking affronted when Harry burst out laughing.

"I did. I wasn't sure you heard me though. Have a nice read?"

Draco blushed, ducking his head, and nodded. "Yeah, that Killian was some Master. I wish I could have met him, too bad our current Longbottom is worthless at potions."

"Do you think that's why Professor Snape is so horrid towards him?"

"Maybe, or it could be because of all the exploded cauldrons he's caused during his past five years," Draco shrugged, not really interested in why his godfather and the bumbling Gryffindor didn't get along.

Harry was about to knock on the classroom door when the bell rang and he quickly jumped to the side so as not to be trampled by the students rushing for the door wanting to get out as quickly as possible.

He was wise to do so as the door was thrown open and a score of third year Hufflepuffs ran for freedom. The Ravenclaws were not as rushed to leave as Snape had a little bit more tolerance towards them, but no one wanted to linger.

Harry and Draco made their way inside and walked towards the teacher standing behind his desk, clearing the blackboard.

"Sir?" Harry said placing the two scrolls on the desk.

"Harry, Draco, I wasn't expecting to see either of you anytime soon," Severus drawled putting his wand away.

"I had finished the summer assignments and wanted to hand them over to you as soon as possible," Harry explained. "And I wanted to give you a copy of a journal I bought yesterday. Draco thinks you'd enjoy a copy of your own," Harry grinned impishly pulling the book from his pocket.

Severus gave them both a suspicious look, but accepted the book and opened it. Promptly all colour left his face and he sank into his chair. Leafing through the book quickly he focused on the two boys standing before his desk.

"Do you know what I am holding in my hands?" he croaked out, too shocked to speak.

"Yeah, an old potion book," Harry teased. "It has to be good 'cause Draco's been buried in it ever since breakfast."

"An old potion book... To call this journal such a thing is blasphemy of the highest degree Potter!" Severus growled, but there was no heat behind his words. "I can not accept such a gift Harry. If you were to sell it you could name your prize and have it met,"

Harry shrugged, not impressed. "I'm not interested in money," he said simply. "I have enough for what I need. I'm not Potion Master material and we both know it. You and Draco are though, so who better to have that book?" Holding up a hand to stop whatever Severus was about to say Harry continued: "If you can't accept it as a gift, then consider it a thank you for saving my life – numerous times. I owe you a life dept or two if I understand wizard laws and customs right, maybe that book can be considered a down payment for what I owe you?"

Ducking his head in embarrassment Harry began to back away. "I'll just leave you now to prepare for your next classes. Bye sir," and with that he ran out of the room leaving two shocked people behind.

"I better go after him and make sure nothing happens to him," Draco murmured looking worriedly after his mate. "Enjoy the book Sev, I'm really looking forward to discussing a few of the things written in it with you. See you tonight?" he asked over his shoulder not really waiting for a reply.

Severus stared at the now empty spots where the two boys had been recently standing. Slowly his gaze returned to the book in his hands. Caressing the leather he felt how stiff it was, indicating the newness of the book. But the content proved its age. The pages were yellowed and stained in several places; the ink was faded and smudged. When Potter had created this copy he had copied the original down to the last imperfection of the original paper. To be given such a treasure... Severus shook his head, he couldn't believe it. He couldn't understand it. No one had ever given him gifts just to please him, no one... but Lucius Malfoy. Hugging the journal to his chest Severus felt tears well up in his eyes; that stupid, wonderful, reckless boy. It was a miracle he'd survived for as long as he had. It was fortunate he now had the Malfoys on his side; such a soft heart would soon be snuffed out in the harsh realities of war.

Hearing the sounds of footsteps approaching Severus gathered himself, and quickly put a protective charm on the journal, putting it into a pocket. The scrolls he locked into a drawer for later. Oh how he wished he could skip the rest of the classes for that day and sink into his favourite chair with his new book. Unfortunately, duty called and he glared as his fifth year Slytherins and Gryffindors entered the room.

He waited for the bell to ring and then smiled at his class, causing them to shudder in fear. Opening the bottom drawer, he pulled out a stack of papers and placed them on his desk. Then he uttered the words that put fear in every student that heard them. "Class, today we are going to have a pop-quiz."

(Le Merle is Blackbird in French. I figured that to be a good name for a relative to the Malfoys, grin.)

**Next time:  
**The boys mixes rocks and transfiguration and have some fun.  
Stay tuned.


	13. Going for a Ride

**Summary:  
**Draco finds his mate and a tentative relationship is beginning to build  
Dumbledore butt heads with Salazar Slytherin  
Books, books, and more books

This will in time be a slash-story. Don't like it? Don't read it.

Million thanks to Keikokin for being my beta-reader.

* * *

**Going for a Ride**

Draco tracked his mate down to the lake and watched as he wandered around the small beach, his head down obviously looking for something. He could sense that Harry was uncomfortable and he guessed it was from the sudden turn his conversation with Severus had taken. He would leave that topic to the Potion Master and his father though, no way was _he_ touching it.

"What's up?" he asked walking closer.

Harry's head snapped up, but it quickly dropped down again without answering.

"So what are we doing?" Draco asked after he'd walked beside Harry for several minutes. The boy was stubbornly staring at the ground. Now and then he'd bend down to pick up a small stone, but almost immediately he dropped again.

"I'm gonna do something I've always wanted to do," Harry said in a small voice Draco could barely hear.

"What? Picking pebbles?" Draco demanded incredulously.

A snorting laughter was torn from the brunet. "No silly. Just watch," he said shoving Draco gently.

"Harry, love, I _have_ watched you and all you do is pick up pebbles. And for this you dragged me away from the find of the century?"

"Silly!" Harry repeated with another snort. "Aha! This should do!" he crooned happily pouncing on a rock the size of his fist. It was dark grey with inlays of a whitish mineral. Not particularly beautiful in Draco's opinion and he said as much.

Harry gave him a look, but didn't say anything. He merely walked away from the sand and once he had grass under his feet, he dropped the stone on the ground and drew his wand.

"See? Pebble picking and dropping. Not much fun in that if you ask me," Draco drawled, secretly pleased when he tricked another laugh out of his mate. Harry was made for laughter. His mate had a most beautiful laugh, too bad he seldom displayed it.

"I'm gonna make you regret those words Draco Malfoy," Harry stated moving his wand in a twirling motion uttering an enlargement charm. The rock went from being barely fist-sized to being a hefty boulder.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "Bravo! What's for encore? We drop that thing in the lake?"

"Just wait and see," Harry smiled mysteriously, murmuring a spell Draco couldn't make out. He could see the result though. Slowly the boulder shifted and came to life. Within moments, a beautiful grey horse was standing where the boulder had been. Draco stepped forward, drawn to the beauty of the animal. It was an Arabian if he wasn't mistaken.

"It is beautiful," he whispered holding out a hand for the horse to examine.

"Isn't he?" Harry asked smugly pulling a handkerchief from a pocket. A twirl of the wand and it changed to a thick sheepskin saddle blanket. A few beans become a saddle and tack. A flick of the wrist and the horse were ready to be ridden. "Wanna join me?"

The question broke Draco out of the stupor he had fallen into. The smirk the other boy wore woke the competitive side of the blond and he instantly rose to the unspoken challenge. "You bet!" he answered already running towards the lake to find his own rock to transform.

Not bothering to search as carefully as Harry had done, it didn't take long for Draco to find a rock he was happy with. Joining his mate, he placed the whitish stone on the ground and repeated what Harry had done. Soon a beautiful roan was standing next to the Arab, pawing the ground with a slender hoof and tossing her head.

Using his own handkerchief and a few beans Harry kindly donated, Draco repeated what Harry had done, and soon the two boys climbed onto their mounts' backs.

"Is it true you've never been on a horse before?" Draco asked settling into the saddle, adjusting the stirrups.

"Nope. The only things I've ever ridden is my broom, a hippogriff and a thestral," Harry replied watching closely what Draco was doing and trying his best to copy it. Seeing this Draco showed him what to do and soon they were ready to ride.

"How about you? I take it you've ridden horses before?" Harry asked, settling his feet more firmly in the stirrups.

"Yes, father began teaching me when I was about six years old. We have both regular horses and Pegasi at the Manor. We even own a few race horses a Muggle is training and racing for us. We usually visit Ascot every year to see them race," Draco told him noting the wistful look on Harry's face. It was a crime the way that boy had been treated and to think he had once thought him a spoiled brat!

"Are you ready? We'll take it slow until you've gotten used to his movements," Draco dictated clucking slightly and squeezing with his legs. From the corner of his eye, he noted Harry do the same and the horses eagerly jumped forward. For a moment, Harry tottered and Draco thought for a horrific minute that the other was going to fall off. But then his natural gracefulness came to his rescue and he straightened himself with a laugh. Taking a deep breath, Draco managed a small smile and before long, they were walking around the outer border of Hogwarts.

Harry soon became bored with the slow pace though and urged his mount forward. The horse eagerly complied and began to trot. Harry gave out a whoop of joy startling his mount into a gallop. Having little trouble finding the rhythm Harry was enjoying himself to the hilt, sharing a laugh with Draco when he came up beside him.

Seeing his mate take off had caused the Veela's heart to stop beating for a second, and then it had lodged itself in his throat, refusing to return to its proper place. But when he once more was alongside the other boy, and seeing his happiness he couldn't bring himself to scold him, and instead shared in with his happiness; storing into his heart the sight of sparkling green eyes, red cheeks and laughing mouth.

HPDM

Albus was in his office pacing around the room and dictating a letter to a potential ally to the Order when he happened to look out the window, and promptly choked on his lemon drop. In dismay, he watched it fly from his mouth and end up on the tray under Fawkes perch. Not even with the strongest cleaning charm would he be able to put that candy back into his mouth, and it had taken him four tries to find one that wasn't tainted, having encountered the nasty tastes of burnt toast, salt, and black pepper before finding a lemon drop that _was_ a lemon drop. He had learned his lesson though, and only licked the candy instead of plopping into his mouth, as was his habit.

With a heavy sigh, Dumbledore vanished the now ruined sweet and carefully picked a new candy from the bowl. Licking it warily, he made a horrendous face throwing it across the room in a fit of temper. Spoilt milk! Summoning another drop, he tried it out and sighed in bliss when the taste of lemon filled his mouth. Plopping it onto his mouth he turned back to the window, suddenly remembering the sight that had started the whole thing.

There on the lawn beneath his window, were two figures on horsebacks, chasing each other and laughing. Since school was still in session it wasn't difficult to figure out whom the two were – Harry and Draco.

Albus made a face. It wasn't for this he had excused them from their classes. They were supposed to be in their suite, bonding with each other. And where in Merlin's name had they gotten those horses? If Lucius had brought them here without consulting with him first he was going to give the blond a talking to he hadn't had since the time Dumbledore caught him, Severus and Alexander Zabini spiking the teachers pumpkin juice with a sex-changing potion. Albus shuddered at the thought of what would have happened if they hadn't been caught and the potion disposed of.

With one last dark look at the two boys, Albus turned his back on the sight and concentrated on the letter he'd been writing. If he worded things just right, he might be able to sway the Marietti clan to join his side in the war. The vampires were fierce fighters and if you managed to gain their loyalty, they would always come to your aid when needed. On the other hand, they were some of the most difficult people to deal with, choosing mostly to stay out of mortal business, and only come out if their clan or an ally was threatened.

Sighing softly, he read through what he had already written. If only more magical beings would understand what he was trying to do, who and what he was fighting for, he was sure they would flock to his side. Unfortunately, they were obstinate and wilful and most of the time they acted like small children, and couldn't care less about what he was trying to accomplish. Why couldn't they understand that he was trying to create a better world for everyone?

HPDM

Harry had no idea how long he and Draco had been horsing around. He couldn't help but snort at his own unintended wittiness, but he was beginning to tire. He wasn't used to this type of exercise and his muscles were beginning to protest. Draco must have noticed because he reigned in his mount and came to a halt. Harry slowed his own horse down and stopped at his side.

"I don't know about you but I'm getting hungry. How about we head to the Three Broomsticks and have some lunch?" Draco suggested not wanting the fun to end just yet.

"Do you think we are allowed?"

"Don't know and at the moment I don't care. No one said we had to remain in our rooms for the three days we were excused from class. The purpose was after all for us to get to know each other better," Draco replied with a small shrug.

Harry thought it over and broke into a grin. "Let's go," he said, urging his horse forward.

Side by side, the two boys walked their horses towards the wizard village and all too soon they arrived at their destination. Dismounting in front of the pub, they secured their horses to the tied back window shutters and entered.

If Rosmerta was surprised to see them, she didn't let it show, but led the boys to a table and took their orders. Munching their food and sipping Butterbeer, they talked about everything and nothing, having a wonderful time. Nevertheless, no matter how much they didn't want it to, time marched on and it was time to leave. Settling into the saddles, they walked their horses back towards the castle and Hagrid's hut.

Draco wondered a bit puzzled why they had stopped here, but didn't ask merely sliding off his own mount when Harry did.

"'Ello there 'Arry! Malfoy! Tis some beautiful beasts ye got there," Hagrid boomed, coming out of his hut to greet his guests. He had seen them earlier and had been happy to see Harry's carefree face as he and Draco chased each other.

"They are, aren't they?" Harry lit up, patting his horse on the neck. "I was wondering Hagrid, if we could put them in the stables. I don't want to lose him and I'm sure Draco feels the same way about his horse."

"Of course ye can! I've always liked horses and it will not be trouble at all looking after these beauties. Leave it to me," Hagrid readily agreed taking the reins from the two boys.

"Thank you Hagrid!" Harry said and impulsively stepped forward and gave the half-giant a fierce hug. Blushing he stepped back, ducking his head slightly. "We have to go back now, but I promise to come and see you real soon," he promised peeking up at Hagrid through his bangs.

"Yer always welcome at my place 'Arry," the half-giant said, patting Harry on the back, almost sending him into the ground, face first. He eyed Draco a bit coldly. "Can't say I much like ye Malfoy, but if ye promise to behave ye are welcome to come visiting with 'Arry here."

"Thank you Hagrid," Draco nodded not sure how to treat the man he had sneered at since before his arrival at Hogwarts.

Hagrid merely nodded and began leading the horses away.

"Come on Draco, I bet your father is looking for us," Harry said and began walking. "Didn't he say he was going to come see us once he'd visited the Manor?"

"Yeah, he did," Draco nodded beginning to walk a bit faster. "I forgot."

"Hmm, I wonder why?" Harry teased taking off running with Draco chasing after him, promises of retributions ringing in his ears.

* * *

**Next time:  
**For all of you who have wondered what exactly it is Draco is sketching,  
next chapter the secret will finally be revealed.  
Stay tuned. 


	14. Added Protection

**Summary:  
**Draco finds his mate and a tentative relationship is beginning to build  
Books, books, and more books  
The boys goes for a ride

This will in time be a slash-story. Don't like it? Don't read it.

As always a bit thank you to Keikokin for being my beta-reader.

**

* * *

**

**Added Protection**

Lucius walked up to Hogwarts enjoying the beautiful day. He had spent the morning at the Manor taking care of business. He had only been interrupted only once, when Narcissa came storming into his study to demand money for a new dress robe and jewellery for some party or another. It had been a pleasure telling her that he had no intention of going to the stupid thing, and if she were so set on going she could find someone else to take her; meaning someone else would have to foot the bill. She had stormed off in a huff, and Lucius was happy to notice that he was no longer consumed with a desire and a need to satisfy her every whim. A fact his wife had used shamelessly in the past.

He entered the school and noticed a group of children coming from the dungeons. _Severus' latest victims_, the blond smirked. On an impulse he hid in the shadows, curious to hear what horrors the Potion Master had subjected his students to this time.

"Hiya Gin. You're looking pale, what did that greasy git do now?"

Lucius bristled at the careless words coming from the Weasley brat. How dare he treat a Professor with such little regard!

"Oh, Ron, it was horrible!" Gin moaned to her brother, accepting the comforting arm around her shoulders. "First he smiled at us."

Ron and Hermione shuddered.

"Then he gave us a pop-quiz!"

Both sixth years moaned in sympathy.

"I mean it was the first day of the term and he gave us a pop-quiz! Then he gave us the 'this is your OWL-year' speech and then he assigned us homework." Ginny paused dramatically, "A 4 foot essay! We are to find 5 potions that contain ant parts and discuss them!"

"Poor Ginny," Hermione said wrapping an arm around the girl's waist. "I've got a list of potions that has ant parts in them. I'll show it to you when we get back to the common room."

"Thanks 'Mione! I've got no idea where to even start looking for something like that."

The children began moving towards the Great Hall and lunch.

"Any idea when Harry comes back? I want to talk to him about the D.A." Ginny said, opening the door.

"He should be back tomorrow," Hermione replied.

"Good," Ginny smiled causing Lucius to smirk. It seemed the youngest Weasley wanted to do more than talk to Harry. _Too bad the boy is already spoken for. However, I better warn Draco, I wouldn't put it past the brat to try something stupid._

Waiting a few moments, Lucius entered the Great Hall as well, disappointed to see Severus' usual seat empty. Settling into the chair next to Sev's Lucius piled some food on a plate and began eating. It was still early, maybe he was just detained?

"Ah, Lucius, just the man I wanted to see."

Lucius clenched his jaw and plastered on a bland smile. "Headmaster," he said pleasantly.

"I was wondering if Harry has changed his mind when it comes to D.A.D.A." Albus asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"I'm afraid not. He still has no desire to subject himself to a new D.A.D.A. teacher and from what I understand the boy could take the N.E.W.T. exams tomorrow and pass with excellent grades. So why should he bother to follow a class that is beneath him?"

Albus hummed gently getting a thoughtful look on his face. "Do you think Harry would be interested in taking the Defence N.E.W.T.'s by Christmas? That would make things easier for me, and the child would have one less N.E.W.T. to worry about."

Lucius bit back a snort. _I'm sure that would make things easier for you old man. As always you have no concerns for others, only what benefits you!_ "I shall ask Harry his opinion if you like."

"Do that, Lucius." Albus nodded. "I saw the boys earlier; they were outside, riding a pair of horses. Do you know anything about that?"

"Horses?" Lucius echoed nonplussed. "No, I have no idea where they got those from. They must have transfigured them from something or other." Lucius thought feeling amused. Would those boys ever cease to amaze him?"

"I want you to talk to them Lucius, horses are not allowed at Hogwarts. If the other students see them, they might wish to join them, and we'll end up with a mess on our hands."

"I can't see what has you so worried Headmaster. Surely, there are no problems with the children riding on horses, especially if they transform them from a rock or something and end the transfiguration when they are done. The older students can help the younger ones who haven't learned that advanced transfiguration yet," Lucius said cheerfully taking a bite of his lunch.

"Still, I wish you to talk to the boys. If any of the children were to be harmed because of something they started... I'm sure Harry would be devastated if that happened," Albus said with a stern look that was destroyed by the twinkle in his eyes. Pleased with himself, he turned to ask McGonagall something; leaving the blond fuming.

_Damn you Albus Dumbledore, I am not your lapdog, or your servant. To use such an argument is such a low blow; to put the blame on a 16 year old child! If you have such qualms, why don't you talk to the boys yourself? I will _not_ serve as your scapegoat. If you want them to stop you will have to bloody well tell them so yourself!_

His appetite gone Lucius shoved the plate away from him and got to his feet. It was clear that Severus was eating in his rooms today, so there was no reason for him to hang around in the Hall. Especially considering the company he was forced to endure here.

"One more thing, could you make sure that Harry and Draco come down for breakfast tomorrow morning?"

"Of course, now, if you'll excuse me?" Lucius did his best to bite back a sneer and left before he did something he probably wouldn't regret later.

HPDM

"Good day to you Salazar Slytherin, are the boys in?"

"Greetings to you as well Lucius Malfoy. No, they left some time ago."

Lucius frowned and considered his options. He could leave a message and wait for the boys to return in his rooms, or he could wait for them in their rooms. Considering Draco and Harry had been given bigger and brighter rooms, the choice was given. "Very well, I shall wait for their return then, dragons and Parselmouth."

The portrait swung open and Lucius entered, letting his gaze sweep around the room. His eyebrow rose at the sight of the trunk against the wall and he stepped closer to take a look. He refrained from touching any of the books though, and walked up to the table doubling as dinner table and study desk.

He smiled slightly at the sight of the potions texts and guessed what had kept Severus from the Great Hall. Harry must have finished his summer work and had obviously handed them over to the Potions Master. Idly wondering if the youth had used some other rare potion book as base for his work, Lucius noted Draco's sketchpad and picked it up, leafing through it.

The first drawing he encountered showed that Parkinson chit, dressed up like a princess, only her face was that of a pug, and the hands holding her scepter were not that of a human but that of a dog. Chuckling slightly at the sight, Lucius turned the page and came across a drawing of Blaise Zabini.

This time Draco had used a fox, something that fit the Zabini boy to a T. He was sharp, witty, curious, quick, hardly ever missing a clue; in short, a true Slytherin. Draco had always been perceptive of the people around him and ever since he'd been a young child had had the tendency to give those he drew traits of animals that suited their character. Never once had he known his son for choosing the wrong animal.

Curious to see what else his son had sketched, Lucius turned the page and paused. Entwined together lay two people, one dark and one fair, innocent in sleep. The pair was lying in what looked to be a meadow, and a butterfly was hovering above them increasing the cuteness of the picture. Lucius couldn't help the sappy smile that came to his face, Draco and Harry just looked so _right_ together.

On the next page, the couple was kissing, an innocent, chaste kiss yet filled with devotion and love. It would seem Draco's Veela Dreams had started, good. It would help keep his son's Veela side pacified until Harry was ready to bond.

Turning the page, Lucius found himself blushing and he slammed the sketchpad shut. Damn, but he did not need the image of his son, on his knees, in front of a naked Harry Potter who had his head thrown back, clearly in the throes of passion. He would have to have a talk to his son about the dangers of leaving his drawings where anyone could stumble upon them. Lucius didn't think Harry was ready to see what else the Veela was dreaming of, he knew _he_ wasn't ready to see what his son dreamed about. He could still vividly remember the dreams he had had about his mate all those years ago.

Badly needing a distraction, Lucius picked up the plain black leather book lying on the table. It looked new and he opened it cautiously, hoping it wasn't Draco's private journal he had picked up. Reading the faded runes on the first page, Lucius felt all blood leave his face and he felt faint. Sinking into the nearest chair, he turned around and glanced at the trunk sitting so innocent against the wall next to the door to Harry's room. Was this one of the treasures he had brought from the Black Manor? Looking down at the book in his hands, Lucius came to a decision and made his way to the couch on slightly unstable legs. Sinking into the soft cushions, Lucius made himself comfortable and began to read.

HPDM

"Hi dad!" Draco greeted as he and Harry tumbled through the door to their rooms. Noting what his father was reading, the blond broke into a huge grin. "You found it, good, isn't it cool? Harry found it in that trunk over there, and he made me and Sev a copy," he gushed, walking over to where his father was relaxing. Lifting up the long legs, Draco settled on the end of the couch allowing his father's legs to rest on his lap.

"Yes, it is indeed 'cool'." Lucius said with an amused drawl. He hadn't seen Draco this happy and carefree in years. "May I ask what you two have been up to?"

"We went riding." Draco told him, his eyes shining brightly.

_That explains the carefree happiness. My little dragon always did love riding be it brooms or animals._ "I wasn't aware that Hogwarts had horses", he said, feigning ignorance.

"They do now," Draco laughed sharing a look with his mate, who burst into giggles.

Lucius sat up properly and gave them a look. "Alright, what did you do and how much trouble will it cause me?" he asked dryly.

"It was Harry's idea Father," Draco promptly replied earning himself a 'Hey!' and a pillow to his face. "It was brilliant dad and I don't know why no one has thought of it before. We transfigured two rocks into a pair of horses and we've spent the morning riding around having fun."

Lucius gave Harry an appreciative look. "Very clever," he nodded bestowing a small smile on the boy who blushed and ducked his head. "I hope you saved those rocks. If you want to do this again it is easier to transform a rock which has already gone through the change once, than always picking new stones. No one knows why, but it is a fact."

"Umm, we never changed the horses back," Harry admitted. "I asked Hagrid and he is looking after them for us. I don't know if they'll need to eat and such, but I figured Dumbledore wouldn't be pleased if they walked around freely on the lawn."

"No, he probably wouldn't like that," Lucius was forced to agree. _Hell he didn't even like the notion of a horse being on 'his' property. There is no way I'm going to tell them Dumbledore's 'orders'. They are far too happy for me to spoil their fun. I am going to talk to Severus first before I say anything, I'm sure the two of us can think of something to keep the old fool off their backs._ "But what prompted you to take such an action?" he belated asked.

"It was something I read in a book this summer. It said that if you created an animal, and kept it around, spending a lot of time with it, if you were lucky, and felt enough love towards what you had created and were magically strong, it might come to life. I figured it wouldn't hurt to keep them around."

"I'd like to read that book if you'd let me, Harry. I've never heard of such a thing happening, but then it sounds like it is a rare phenomenon. I wager not many are strong enough or even interested enough to make it come true."

Harry tilted his head to the side in thought and nodded. "Sure, I don't mind." He got up and headed into his room, grabbing a handful of beans on his way. When he came back, he held a large tome in his hands that he held out to Malfoy senior.

Lucius accepted the book and leafed through it. Shaking his head, he closed the book and looked over at his son's mate. The boy was turning out to be a true find, not to mention a mystery.

"Thank you Harry. I will take excellent care of it," he promised.

"It is a copy. If you like, you may add it to your library, just give Draco and Severus a chance to read it if they are interested," Harry said, settling more comfortably in his chair.

"I promise." He was about to say something more when an owl demanded entrance through one of the windows.

Harry bounded over and opened it for the bird that swooped inside and settled on the boy's shoulder. Taking the note Harry scanned it quickly.

_Dear Sweetie,_

_I had a feeling you'd want the rest of the books so I packed them as well. I then went to check around to make sure there were no books lying around and it was then I remembered the trunks. There are 23 of them and for 15 Galleons a piece that comes to 345 Galleons. I understand if you don't want to buy them sight unseen and you are welcome to come and view them at anytime you wish. Please let me know your decision._

_Sincerely,_

_Abigail Sweetwater_

Scratching the owl under the beak Harry said: "Your mistress is a kind and gentle old lady, did you know that?"

The owl hooted indignantly and nipped Harry's finger hard.

"Ouch! I guess you do," he chuckled untying the pouch and withdrew the disk it contained.

Offering the owl some water and treats, Harry put the asked for money into the pouch and reapplied the featherweight charm. Once the owl was satisfied, Harry tied the pouch to a leg and petted the soft feathers. "Take this back to your owner, but it is no hurry, ok? If you need to stop and rest, do so. I don't want you getting sick, you hear?"

The two Malfoys watched in astonishment as Harry petted and talked to the bird and they both swore the owl was talking back to him. They watched as it took off and flew out the window, finding an upwind and sailed lazily on the currents.

"What?" Harry asked seeing the weird looks his companions sent him.

"Love, do you always talk to owls like they were a person?" Draco asked, wanting to know, but not wanting to offend the other boy.

"Sure, don't you?"

"Umm, no."

Harry shrugged in a 'your loss' manner. "You should you know, owls are some of the smartest animals I've encountered. Hedwig has always acted as if she understood me perfectly. But then, she was my only friend when I was stuck with the Dursleys. It was talking to her or talking to myself."

Lucius leaned back and mulled over what he had seen and what he'd been told. "Considering that we bond with our owls, it is similar to the bond you have with a familiar, only weaker. It stands to reason that the more you invest in that bond, the more you get back. Most wizards only see their owls as a means to deliver mail, and leave them be unless they are needed. You wanted a friend, so you spent a lot of time with your owl and she responded to that, and your bond became both stronger and closer than what most wizards achieve."

Harry nodded in understanding and Draco vowed to pay more attention to his own screech owl. He had seen the way Harry acted around Hedwig when he'd spied on the boy, but he hadn't really understood what he'd been seeing. He remembered the envy he'd felt though, at the close bond the two shared, but he had shrugged it off as a Boy-Who-Lived thing. He hadn't realised it was a bond forged out of loneliness. _He will never be that alone again. Not while I'm alive,_ he vowed fiercely.

"May I ask what that is?" Lucius asked nodding towards the disk Harry was still holding.

Looking down at it Harry blinked, he'd forgotten all about it, too wrapped up in the conversation and the thoughts it had inspired. "It's the rest of my books," he said looking around the room for someplace to put it where the trunk wouldn't be in the way.

In the end, he placed it in the middle of the floor, figuring he would move it later when he knew the size of the thing. It turned out to be a second steamer trunk, just as large as the first one, and just as scuffed up.

"Cool!" Draco said with enthusiasm, popping up from his seat. "Can we check it out now? Can we? Please?"

Harry laughed and flipped the lid open. "Be my guest," he said with a wave of his arm. Before he had finished speaking Draco was on his knees picking up a handful of books which he carefully examined.

"May I ask where you got that?" Lucius asked, wrinkling his nose at the dust and the grime. It was clear that Abigail hadn't bothered to clean the books before packing them.

"I bought them yesterday," Harry explained walking over to the first trunk he'd received. "I went to the junkshop next to Flourish and Blotts, and told the lady behind the disk that I wanted to buy all her books. I'm afraid I shocked her quite badly," he chuckled at the memory.

"The junkshop?" Lucius said both appalled and horrified. "Why in Merlin's name would you want to enter a shop like that one?"

"It wasn't that bad," Harry defended his actions.

"Harry, love, only people with no money enter that shop in hopes of finding something useful they can afford to buy," Draco said looking up from the diary he was holding.

"Humph! Then maybe it is about time someone with money did go there," Harry said, his nose in the air. He then abandoned his pose and chuckled. "It was actually Bartholomew Black that gave me the idea. He told me that he used to visit junkshops, using a disguise of course, looking for finds. That is how the Black family came to be the owners of the legendary Heart Ruby, whatever that is," Harry explained. Giving the two blonds a pointed look he added: "and considering the fuss you both have made over that journal I found this morning I'd say my point has already been proven."

"True, you can't argue with that." Draco conceded. Remembering the diary he'd been reading when Harry had interrupted him, he called the book to him and showed it to his father. "Isn't this a distant relative of ours?" he asked pointing to the name on the first page.

"I believe so. I think he is the son of your four times grandfather's sister. I believe she married into the Le Merle Family and if memory serves, her third son was named Claude. I would have to look into it closer to be absolutely sure, but the year would indicate that is him."

"Cool! I've read some of it and he sounds like he was a nice kid," Draco explained. "You should read it father."

"Maybe I shall." Lucius said with a smile, refusing to commit himself further.

Shrugging, Draco returned to examine the books in the trunk. Harry had lost interest though, and was looking at Lucius with a pensive look.

"Is there something on your mind Harry?" the aristocrat asked hoping to encourage the boy to confide in him.

"Actually there is. I've been wondering about something," Harry said getting to his feet and walked over to where Lucius was sitting. "It's about Hagrid. He was expelled from Hogwarts, accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets. But he was framed by Tom Riddle, something the Headmaster knows very well. Still he has done nothing to have Hagrid cleared. He is innocent and it is cruel to deny him the use of his magic because of something he didn't do. I know you don't like him, but isn't there something we could do to help him?" Harry asked turning large, serious eyes on Malfoy.

Lucius blinked and found it extremely difficult to deny those green, shining eyes anything, especially when it was coupled with a trusting look that screamed 'I know you can make everything alright'. Draco had looked at him like that when he was a child, and it had been just as difficult to deny him, as it was to deny Harry now. Merlin help him if they ever decided to turn that look on him simultaneously, he'd be utterly powerless to deny them anything if they did that.

"To tell you the truth I don't know Harry. I have never given his situation much thought. An official hearing would probably be the way to go. As you say, he was framed. He did have some type of monster hidden though."

"Yeah, Aragog," Harry nodded," An Acromantula; scary, but not the monster that terrorized the school."

"How do you know of that?" Lucius asked.

"I met him."

"You what?" two shocked blonds cried out.

"I met him in my second year. Ron and I were in Hagrid's hut when Fudge came to arrest him, hiding under my invisibility cloak. Hagrid told us to follow the spiders if we wanted to find out what the monster really was."

"Tell me you didn't," Lucius groaned.

"We did." Harry replied sheepishly. "We followed the spiders, right up to their nest. Aragog was most accommodating, telling us what had happened 50 years earlier. Then he gave us to his children since we had after all strolled into their home, and fresh meat was fresh meat."

"However did you get out of there?" Lucius asked shaken.

"Mr. Weasley's Ford Anglia came to our rescue and took us back to the school. It went back into the forest. We returned to the school, and it took weeks for Ron to forgive Hagrid. I thought he was never going to stop ranting and raving at him," Harry laughed. "Ron hates spiders with a passion and coming face to face with Aragog did not cure him."

"It seems the Weasel have more sense than you," Draco snorted, shaken at the close call his mate had had. "That's it! You are _never_ to set foot in the Forbidden Forest again. Ever!"

"Calm down Draco. With the Centaurs acting like they are, there is no way I'm going in there. Unless there is a life at stake of course," Harry couldn't help adding.

Draco glowered and threw a book at him. Harry caught it with ease and didn't repent at all.

"That reminds me," Lucius said butting in before the children came to a tussle. "Draco come here," he ordered pulling a box from a pocket, opening it to reveal a beautiful necklace.

Draco shuffled over to his father, pulling out the necklace he was wearing. Taking the necklace from the box Lucius placed them next to each other, and touching them with his wand, he recited a spell that caused them to glow.

"Harry I want you to wear this always. Don't take it off, no matter what," Lucius said seriously, holding it out.

Harry walked over and sat down on the coffee table, accepting the necklace from the blond. It was beautiful. A thick silver chain, and hanging from it was a pendant in the shape of a snake. He gently touched the jade green stone admiring the way the sunlight was caught in it. "What does it do? I can feel the magic, it's very powerful, but I can't tell what it does."

Lucius took the necklace back and placed it around Harry's neck, whispering a complex locking charm. The chain shrunk until the stone sat comfortably in the hollow of Harry's throat. "It is one of the Malfoy necklaces, and it has been in the family for centuries. It will protect you from minor curses and hexes and a few not so minor. It also contains a powerful tracking charm, so that I will always be able to find you; Draco has one as well as you saw. I have already linked yours to mine, so that you can call on us if you wish. All you have to do is grab the stone, and whisper our name." To demonstrate Lucius pulled out his own necklace. It was similar to Harry's only his stone was a much darker green.

"Harry," Lucius murmured and instantly Harry felt his necklace get warm. "Can you hear me?" he added and Harry nodded. It was a most peculiar sensation. On one hand, he could hear Lucius through his ears, the man was only a few feet away after all, but he could also hear him at the back of his mind.

"Wicked!"

"To deactivate the call you only have to let go of the stone," Lucius explained, letting go mid-sentence and Harry felt the tiny presence disappear with a soft pop.

"You are, however, not to use this unless there are an emergency. If you use them to amuse yourselves during lessons, or Merlin forbid, to cheat at tests, you will not like the punishment I will come up with," he said sternly knowing fully well the mischievous mind of his son.

"Yes father," Draco said looking properly chastened.

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir," Harry said but with a gleam in his eyes he was unable to hide completely.

Lucius merely shook his head and sighed. "Why don't I believe you?" he asked the air causing the boys to burst into laughter.

* * *

A/N:  
Thank you to everyone who is reviewing my story, you people rocks! You keep the muse happy and the fingers flowing across the keyboard. You are the reason I wake each morning with a million ideas in my head. Hopefully they will all end up written in the end, lol. 

I also want to send a special thankyou to Kitten for the plotbunny. Who knows, I just might write it, it has a lot of potential. Got any more?

On an other note, did you enjoy finding out what Draco is sketching? I wasn't going to tell until much later, but since so many wanted to know, I decided to put it in early.

Next Time:  
The boys return to class, but things don't go as smoothly as they figured.  
Stay Tuned.


	15. Returning To School

**Summary:  
**Draco finds his mate and a tentative relationship is beginning to build  
The boys goes for a ride  
What _is_ Draco sketching?

This will in time be a slash-story. Don't like it? Don't read it.

As always a big thank you to Keikokin for being my beta-reader

* * *

**Returning To School  
****Day Four - Thursday**

Harry woke with a smile early the next morning. There had been no nightmares, no visions, and no strange ladies singing. For once, he'd actually gotten a good night's sleep. Stretching like a cat Harry savored the feeling of being well rested before he jumped out of bed. He had far too much energy to laze about.

Looking out the window at the beautiful morning, he quickly got dressed. If he hurried, he'd manage to do some flying before breakfast, or horseback riding. Bounding out of his room and up the stairs to Draco's he knocked on the opened door, snickering at the sight of blond hair sticking up in all directions.

"What?" a petulant voice asked. Clearly, the Veela had not appreciated being awakened at 5.30 in the morning.

"Good morning sleepy head!" Harry called chirpily. "It's a glorious day outside and I am going riding. Wanna come?"

"Humph!" Draco groaned pulling the covers over his head.

"No? Ok, see you at breakfast then," Harry called, determined to savor this morning no matter what.

However, Draco was beginning to wake up and his brain had, reluctantly, kicked into gear. Throwing the covers back, he quickly sat up calling: "No! Wait! I'll come with you."

Harry's face lit up. "You will? That's great Draco! I'll saddle up the horses. Don't be long!" he said running from the room.

Draco groaned, but climbed out of his nice warm bed and headed for the bathroom. This was the second morning Harry had dragged him out of a lovely dream, and he had a feeling it wouldn't be the last. Grumbling he dressed and hurried after his mate, not wanting to keep him waiting. Merlin only knew what mischief that boy might decide on with no Draco there to keep an eye on him. He had had no idea that such a devious mind had been kept hidden behind the meek persona Potter had presented to the world for the past five years. He couldn't wait to find out what else Harry had been hiding.

Walking outside Draco found Harry already mounted and waiting for him, holding the reins of his roan. Accepting them, he gracefully swung into the saddle, only then noticing the large dog sitting on the other side of Harry's horse; his tongue lolling as he panted.

Draco looked up at Harry, one eyebrow raised.

"Don't look at me, he wanted to come with us, and I'm sure the horses won't mind. Much."

Draco snorted. "Don't come crying to me when you get thrown because of that coward of a dog. Really, what Hagrid sees in him I'll never know."

Harry merely laughed and urged his mount forward. With a shout, Draco gave chase and soon the two were laughing, chasing the wind, not a care in the world with a wildly barking Fang running alongside them.

Hagrid looked out of his window and smiled at the sight. He'd been worried when the Headmaster had told him of the Veela and his choice, but so far Harry had been happier than he'd seen him in years.

Another set of eyes were watching and smiling as well. Silver eyes that usually were cold warmed at the two carefree figures, and he felt a feeling of gratitude sweep through him. He had worried that Draco would end up in the same trap he had been in, but so far Harry had been a delightful surprise. Lucius had a feeling the wizarding world would never realize what was going on until after Harry had molded the world to be what he wanted it to be.

Chuckling he turned away from the window and went to take a shower. He hadn't been entirely truthful with the boys. His necklace, being the Master, gave him far more information than he'd led the boys to believe, and he had felt the two of them wake up that morning, the exuberance coming from Harry waking him up from a sound sleep. He didn't begrudge them though, and decided to join them the next time. Maybe he could even talk Severus to accompany them. Merlin knew the man could do with some fresh air, and with some fun.

HPDM

"Harry! We have to stop now if we are to be ready in time for breakfast," Draco called almost an hour and a half later. They were cutting things close, but he hadn't wanted to stop the other's fun.

Harry nodded and turned his horse towards the stables. "I guess. I wish I could just go on and never turn back," he said wistfully.

"I know. But Dumbledore asked us to be there this morning remember? And we can't oppose him openly, not yet any way."

"I guess. Still."

"I know," Draco said once more, hiding his own regret and he jumped off his mount's back.

Removing the tack didn't take long and they turned the horses loose in the small corral next to the stable. The horses whinnied and began chasing each other in a friendly game of tag. Clearly they were not satisfied with the morning exercise either.

"Come on Harry, we can come back tonight after class," Draco said gently, pulling on Harry's arm.

"I guess," Harry sighed climbing off the fence.

In silence, they walked together back towards the castle. Entering Draco looked down at his clothes and wrinkled his nose. "I guess we'd better take a shower first. We can't enter the Great Hall reeking of horses."

Harry leaned closer and took a sniff. "I don't think you reek, but if you say so," he took a step back and shrugged, casting a cleaning charm on Draco. Doing the same on himself Harry approached one of the doors to the Great Hall.

"Harry? What are you doing?" Draco asked confused.

"I'm going to eat breakfast," Harry said looking back at Draco with wide innocent eyes.

"We aren't exactly dressed for breakfast. We don't have our school robes, remember?"

"But nothing in the rules states that we have to wear them during the meals Draco. If we eat now we'll have plenty of time to head up and grab our robes and bags before the first class."

Not sure what to say to that and curious to see what Harry was up to, because there was little doubt in his mind that the brunet was up to something, Draco shrugged and waved for Harry to proceed.

When they entered the hall side by side, they were met with total silence. Not many had ventured down for breakfast yet, but those who had stared at the two boys first in astonishment and then with lust. They were making a striking sight, with Harry dressed in his blood red leather and black silk shirt and Draco dressed in black with a shirt the color of tarnished silver. Forks were held half way to the mouth, forgotten, and several who had been about to drink from their goblets didn't notice the juice dribbling down the front of their robes. Draco did though and smirked.

"Good morning all. And a lovely morning it is, don't you think?" Harry called into the silence, feeling unnerved by the unblinking stares. His voice startled everyone awake from the fog they'd fallen into. _I wonder what's wrong with everyone today? They act as if they'd never seen me before. It is too early for the Prophet to have cocked up some story...  
_  
"What's wrong with everyone?" Harry hissed quietly to Draco, walking further into the Hall.

Draco gave him an incredulous look, but wasn't about to enlighten him. He wasn't given a chance either since Dumbledore chose that moment to stand up and address them.

"Ah, Harry, Draco, good morning to you both. It is a pleasure to see you again. May I ask where your school robes are?"

"Morning sir," Harry replied still walking. "They are in our rooms I should think. Draco and I decided to take advantage of the fine morning we are having and we've been outside. I'm too hungry though to bother to go up there and get them only to come right back down again. We'll get them later when we retrieve our book bags."

"I see. Please make sure to bring them in the future."

Harry merely shrugged. He was far too hungry to bother to argue such details with stubborn old fools.

Albus frowned, but decided not to argue the point in front of the school. Disappointed not more students were present, he decided to address those already there, knowing he'd have to do it again later when the remaining student body arrived.

"Students, as a few of you might already know, young Malfoy here is part Veela. He came into his inheritance last spring and it would seem young Harry Potter here is his mate. I am sure you will all respect their bond and not try to interfere. In addition, they will be welcome at both the Gryffindor and the Slytherin table during meals. Anyone not treating them with respect will be suitable dealt with. Harry, Draco, why don't you sit at  
the Gryffindor table this morning?"

"Sorry sir, but I already promised Draco that I would sit with his friends this morning." Harry lied smoothly and pulled Draco along to settle at the Slytherin table, allowing the blond to subtly prod him to where he wanted them to sit.

"Welcome to Slytherin Harry," Blaise said with amusement having ended up beside Harry with Draco at Harry's other side.

"Thank you." Harry nodded loading his plate with a mountain of pancakes, whipped cream, and jam. "Sorry, but I'm starving," he apologized setting about to inhale the mountain he'd created, ignoring the more or less hostile looks the Slytherins sitting nearby sent his way. Draco and Blaise ignored them as well, knowing that none of their housemates weregoing todo anything until they knew for sure where the Veelaand his mate stood politically. Instead the twoboyswatchedHarry in awe as he did a fairly good imitation of Weasley eating, only Harry had his mouth closed as he chewed.

"Wanna tell me why we are sitting here and not among the dorks?" Draco asked later when Harry had slowed down and was only nibbling on his food.

"Because I didn't want to spoil a fun morning by listening to Ron moaning about the slimy snake that was sitting at their table, when he wasn't demanding you return here and leave me alone, that is. Hermione would have spent her time trying to shut Ron up, and grilling us for details about Veelas, their bond, and who knows what else." Harry replied taking a sip from his tea cup.

"It's enough we'll have to endure that all day today. No need to start the torture early. Besides I really did want to meet your friends," he added looking over at Zabini. He didn't know much about Veela's and their behavior, but he guessed that for Draco to have put him between Blaise and himself, then Zabini was 'safe', whatever that meant. "So, are you a friend of Draco's or did we just end up here by chance?"

Blaise was surprised into a laugh. "And here I thought all Gryffindorks were brainless and rash."

"Can't speak for all of us, only myself, and I happen to think that I have an excellent mind," Harry said with a smirk, giving the other boy a wink. That earned him another laugh and a slap on the back.

"I like him Dray; you better keep a close eye on him so no one tries to steal him away."

"Dray?" Harry asked with a predatory smile, looking at the blond.

"My name is Draco. I can't help if a few cretins are too lazy or too stupid to manage my entire name. And don't you go and get any ideas now, you hear?"

"I hear." Harry nodded meekly, but the act was belayed by the glint in his eyes and the smirk that played at the corners of his mouth. "We better hurry if we are to get our stuff and make it to the first class. By the way, what _is_ our first class?"

"I have no idea; Severus hasn't given me my schedule yet. I wonder why not?" Draco mused.

As if they had heard him, the Heads of Slytherin and Gryffindor walked up to where they were sitting.

"Mr. Potter, here is your schedule," McGonagall said briskly, holding out a piece of paper to Harry while Severus silently handed Draco his, all the while looking foreboding and extremely displeased.

_I wonder what bug crawled up and bit him?_ Harry wondered, but didn't feel daring enough to actually ask the man. Snape hadn't mellowed _that _much towards him.

"Mr. Malfoy, you have been excused from all Prefects duties this week, but you will resume them come Monday. The other Prefects have generously agreed to cover for you until you have settled into your new situation." McGonagall continued, giving the blond a once over as if to check for herself the status of one of her least favourite students.

"Then there is the question of Quidditch. You have both been made Captains of your respective team. Unfortunately, only one of you can remain playing, as it would be unfair to have a bonded pair playing against each other. The Headmaster has decided to leave it up to you, who will quit their team. That is all, now please go and get your robes and don't be tardy, you have Transfiguration directly after breakfast. Good morning to you," McGonagall nodded and marched back to the head table leaving a stunned Draco behind and one silently fuming Harry.

Abruptly he got up from his seat, and not uttering a word, he stormed from the Hall. He could feel his magic getting out of control and he wanted out of there before he did something he'd have to apologise for. Draco quickly scrambled to his feet and followed him, anxious to find out what was wrong.

Once the door had closed behind them, whispers sprung up like wildfires.

"Did you seem them?"

"Oh my gosh! I had no idea Harry was that sexy!"

"Did you see what they were wearing? I wonder where they found those outfits."

On and on it went. Chuckling softly, Blaise rose. Grabbing his book bag, he left the hall as well. This was going to be an interesting year, to say the least.

"Harry, wait up!" Draco called the moment the heavy doors closed behind him and he was free to spring after his retreating mate. He could feel the fury rolling off him, but he wasn't sure what had caused him to lose his temper in the first place.

"Hey? What's wrong?" Draco asked when he finally had caught up with Harry. For such a small guy he sure could move quickly when motivated.

Harry gave Draco an incredulous look. "How can you even ask that? Didn't you hear what she said?" he asked enraged.

It was Draco's turn to give Harry an incredulous look. "Of course I bloody heard her! But what I don't understand is why you are so angry. I will quit the team and you will go on playing..."

He got no further when a hand grasped his elbow and yanked him into an empty classroom.

"And why the hell are you assuming that it is you who are to quit the team?" Harry growled into Draco's startled face.

"Because it is customary for the Veela to stand down in situations like this?" he squeaked. He hated it that his voice broke when he needed to sound cool, but Harry was _scary_ damn it!

"And what did I tell you about not wanting a slave?" Harry snarled, getting even more into Draco's face.

"That you don't want one?" Draco managed to get out, holding his ground although all he wanted was to move, preferably to the other side of the room. Heck, the other side of the castle was sounding good at the moment.

"Exactly!" Harry all but shouted, moving away from Draco to the blond's relief. "But that is not why I am angry."

_An understatement if I've ever heard one!_ Draco thought to himself.

"The reason why I am angry is that this whole discussion shouldn't be taking place at all. I was not on the team last year, remember? That bitch had me banned from Quidditch. And they _know_ one of us can't play and yet they reinstated me on the team, without even asking me if I wanted to continue playing, putting you on the spot where you are forced to resign!" Harry gave the Veela a dark look before resuming his pacing, muttering angrily under his breath.

Draco blinked. Looking over the situation he realised Harry was correct. He shouldn't have been made captain. If he wanted to return to the team after the ban was lifted, he should have been made to participate in the tryouts like everyone else. "I, ah, see your point. So what do we do?"

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair, some of his temper spent. "I don't know why Dumbledore is doing this, but I'm not in the mood to meekly do as he says. I had no plans on getting back on the team anyway. I will be too busy studying. There are loads of interesting books I 'borrowed' from the Black library I haven't had a chance to look at yet. Not to mention all those books I got from the junkshop. On top of that, I'm now supposed to train the D.A. Add to that the fact that I have absolutely no desire becoming the Quidditch Captain and I think you have your answer. You stay on the team. Unlike me, you have earned to right to the Captaincy. I want you to accept it and do your best to lead your team to victory."

"But what about your friends?" Draco asked once he had his voice back under control.

"What of them?"

"Don't play dense Harry! Ronald the Weasel will be furious with you for quitting the team, and you know it."

"Yeah, I know it. But you know what? I don't care. They managed just fine last year without me. Ginny is a good Seeker and if Ron can keep his temper and his cool he is a decent Keeper. They don't need me to have a chance at the cup. This world has become far too dependant on one kid for my liking. Especially since that kid is me. I think it is time for the wizarding world to learn to make do without me holding their bloody hand all the time!"

Draco looked at Harry with some concern. He looked tired and dispirited and he had a feeling his friends had done something to him, something that had hurt him deeply. Now was not the time to find out what though. Making his decision he stepped up to Harry and enveloped him in a warm hug, ignoring the way Harry flinched at first.

"I want to thank you for being such a kind and considerate mate," he said eventually. "You are right, you know. I don't want to quit the team. I love the sport. And I think I can make a great Captain. Thank you for allowing me the chance to prove it to both myself, and to the rest of the school." Reluctantly he pulled away. "But for now I guess we better hurry or we'll be hopelessly late for class."

Harry smirked. "Don't bet on it." Snapping his fingers together he called out: "Dobby."

"Harry Potter sir called for Dobby? How can Dobby help the kind and generous Harry Potter sir?"

"Dobby, we are running a bit late. Could you go to our rooms and get our book bags and school robes please?"

"Of course sir! Dobby is happy to do this for the great Harry Potter sir!" The elf fairly beamed in happiness and disappeared with a pop.

Draco did his best to keep his hilarity to himself; he really did, but... "Harry Potter sir?" he asked, earning himself a part disgusted and part sheepish look that was his undoing.

By the time Dobby returned with their things Draco was laughing so hard he was crying.

"Ha bloody ha!" Harry muttered disgruntled, pulling on his robe. "Come on _Dray_, or we _will_ be late."

Draco did his best to dry his tears away and put on his robe. He now had teasing material to last him until Christmas.

* * *

**A/N:  
**Thank you to everyone who is reviewing my story, you people rocks! It's been bugging me that I can't comment on the things you write me about in the reviews, so I have gotten myself a live journal. I've begun to make my responses and I'm hoping by the time for my next update, I will be ready to publish the link in my bio. Until then, please keep reading and please keep on commenting on what you've read.  
Janara

Next Time:  
The boys return to class, but things don't go as smoothly as they figured. This time they will actually make it to the classroom, Grin.  
Stay Tuned.


	16. Lots of Talent

**Summary:  
**Draco finds his mate and a tentative relationship is beginning to build  
What _is_ Draco sketching?  
The boys return to class

This will in time be a slash-story. Don't like it? Don't read it.

**A/N:** For those of you who thought I've fallen off the planet, be calm, it was nothing that drastic, just my mother lovingly sharing her flue with the rest of the family, BG. Then once I felt better, I had to do some adding to this chapter due to the input from a few of my reviewers who wanted to know the schools' reactions to Harry and Draco returning to class. Well, here it is. (Beware that the first bit hasn't been checked by my beta…)

As always a big thank you to Keikokin for being my beta-reader

* * *

**Lots of Talent**

Harry felt like the entire school had gone mad, maybe it was affecting the entire world for all he knew. He and Draco had made it to their first class with a few minutes to spare and they had settled at the only chairs left empty, at the front centre of the room, causing Draco to lift his eyebrows in surprise; usually either Granger or some eager Ravenclaw took that seat.

Harry had merely shrugged his shoulders and settled before McGonagall could jump down his throat. But during the entire class he had felt the other student's eyes boring into his back, and when the lesson ended he had no idea what the Professor had been lecturing about, his only hope was that Draco had managed better to focus.

Things did no improve once they had left the classroom, on the contrary things only got worse. Students who never used to talk to him, much less give him the time of day, were trying to catch his attention. Robes were left open, and they weren't the only thing left unbuttoned to Harry's chagrin. People constantly tried to touch him, or brush past him. It made navigating the corridors hell, and by the time they made it to their next class, Harry was extremely frazzled, and Draco looked like he was ready to commit murder.

This time, having learned his lesson, Harry settled at the back of the room, as close to the door as he could get. Once the bell rang signalling the end of the lecture, which Harry again hadn't heard a word of; he sprang into action and ran from the room, Draco close on his heels. Dashing down corridors, using every shortcut he knew, Harry managed to get the two of them to the kitchen, and he collapsed at a table for once ignoring Dobby's enthusiastic greetings.

"What has gotten into everyone?" Harry exploded, boring his eyes into Draco's startled ones. "Zacharias Smith kept putting his hand on my shoulder, wanting to talk to me about the D.A. Zack _never_ talks to me outside the meetings, that stuck up prick isn't exactly fond of me, and after all the times he's been talking back to me the feeling is definitely mutual!

"And what was the matter with Susan Bones? According to Ron, she is the most prudish girl in school so how come I could see most of her chest! And what was up with Sally Perks? She kept giving me those weird looks that made her look like a sick cow! And what the hell was wrong with Justin Finch-Fletchley? He kept passing us I don't know how many times in the corridors, behaving in a _most_ peculiar way, flexing his chest and moving his arms about. Was the entire school _Confounded_ when no one was looking?" Harry was almost shouting at the end, and Draco thought he hadn't seen a more beautiful sight, with his hair on end, more than usual, and his green eyes flashing with passion, making Draco wanting nothing more but pull the other youth down onto his lap and devour him, the rest of the school be damned.

Then it sunk in what Harry had said, and the Veela blinked in astonishment. Harry didn't know what was going on? It seemed unbelievable. Almost the entire school was throwing themselves at him, and his mate didn't see what was going on? Relief flooded through him, and Draco was unable to hold back a snicker.

"Don't tell me they got to you too!" Harry cried in alarm and that was it for Draco, who promptly laughed himself silly. He knew it was merely relief of stress from a most strenuous morning, but he was unable to tell his mate that, a mate who grew more and more frantic.

Harry watched with irritation and then growing alarm as Draco, the cool, 'I'm always in control' Draco Malfoy was practically crawling on the floor in hysterics. Was he the only sane person in school today! Not knowing what else to do, Harry grabbed on to his necklace. "Lucius? Are you there?" he asked, hoping desperately that what ever was affecting the school had bypassed the older Malfoy.

"I'm here Harry, what is wrong? And where are you?"

"We are in the kitchen but something is wrong with Draco. He's on the floor, laughing his ass off, should I take him to see Madam Pomfrey? It looks like whatever is affecting the school, has finally caught up with him." Harry replied, eyeing Draco with growing concern.

Lucius blinked in surprise, but feeling the mounting worry from his charge, he quickly tried to sooth him. "I don't think that will be necessary, I am on my way now. Just stay put and don't go anywhere."

"Believe me we won't!" Harry muttered with feeling.

It didn't take Lucius long to get to the kitchen but it felt like forever to Harry who was ready to throw himself at the aristocrat by the time he arrived.

"Thank Merlin you are here! Look at him! What should I do? I didn't dare cast any spells since I wasn't sure what was going on. Do you know what is affecting the school? Is it a spell? Or is it a potion? But if it is, why aren't we under its influence?" Harry asked, grabbing hold of Lucius arm in a bruising grip, he wasn't about to let go of the one sane person left in this world.

Lucius looked down at Harry in surprise, hiding a wince at the strong grip the boy possessed, and then allowed his gaze to wander to his laughing son. "I think you better start from the beginning," he said aloud, wondering who would dare to bespell a newly formed Veela couple. Someone at this school clearly held a death wish.

Having listened to Harry's somewhat jumbled story, Lucius slowly sank into the nearest seat. He should have realised this would happen, he should have foreseen this and made preparations. Hell, they both should have seen this coming a mile away. But they hadn't, and now he was left with the task to somehow tell Harry Potter that he suddenly was a babe-magnet. _Ah, yes, and this is exactly why none of us said anything._ Lucius thought sarcastically to himself.

"H-hey don't worry love, I'm alright," Draco managed to choke out, finally getting off the floor. Dusting himself off he settled into a chair next to his father, reaching out to take hold of one of Harry's hands.

"You most definitely are not!" Harry snapped, not in the mood to be appeased.

"I promise you, I'm fine Harry," Draco persisted, giving the hand he was holding a light squeeze.

"Then explain to me what that was all about!" Harry gritted out, pointing towards the floor.

"That was me releasing some stress, I'm sorry if I worried you but you have to agree that it was pretty funny."

"It's a bit difficult to agree when you don't get the joke!" Harry snapped, wrenching his hand away, only Draco wouldn't let go and hung to it with all his might.

"Harry, love, the reason everyone was acting so weirdly is because they, they fancy you," Draco said gently, watching Harry's face intently for his reaction.

Harry looked down at Draco with wide eyes. Then he smiled a sweet little smile and patted Draco on the shoulder. "Sir, I think we should get Draco to see Pomfrey, he clearly isn't feeling very well," Harry whispered to Lucius, still petting Draco on the shoulder.

Draco heard him though and exploded, "I'm feeling fine you prat! The school is drooling over you because you look hot in leather ok? They think you are desirable, sexy, the catch of the year, do you need me to go on?" he asked dangerously.

Harry just shook his head sadly, looking to Lucius for help. Lucius in turn just shook his head as well, not believing how dense the brunet was. Didn't he see? Didn't he realise how beautiful he was, especially now that he dressed properly?

Harry however, took the blond's head shake for despair at Draco's condition and swung into action. Before either Malfoy could react, he had swung the young Veela over his shoulder and was striding for the door.

"Harry Potter, what the bloody hell do you think you are doing?" Draco shrieked in outrage. "Put me down this instance! I don't need to see Pomfrey you clueless git!"

"We are going to see Professor Snape, maybe he can figure out what hex or jinx you were hit with," Harry replied determinedly.

Before his son could resort to violence, Lucius hurried to the brunet's side and gently placed a hand on his upper arm. "Harry, what Draco is saying is the truth. The school has wakened up to how beautiful you are, and they are all vying for your attention," he said gently, willing the boy to believe him.

"But why?" Harry asked in confusion. "No one has bothered to look my way since Cho Chang, and besides, they all know I'm Draco's mate so why should they bother?"

"Because people are stupid? Because they don't see what is right under their nose? I don't know. And just because Draco has picked you as his mate, it is not written in stone that you will end up together, you are under no obligations to bond with my son," Lucius said, hating the words before they even left his mouth, but they had to be said.

Harry scoffed. "That is plain stupid! From what little I have read about Veelas, they don't just pick some random stranger to be their mate. The mate has to complete them, they are the most perfect match possible, and I'm supposed to just turn my back on that and pick someone else, knowing fully well that if I do, Draco will die? What kind of mate would that make me?" he demanded in outrage, never noticing the twin sighs of relief from the Malfoys, he was to busy pacing around the kitchen, cursing peoples stupidity.

"Love, do you think you could let me down? I'm getting kind of dizzy here," Draco said in his most soothing voice, hoping Harry would comply before he made a fool of himself, not to mention that his stomach and chest did not appreciate the close encounter with Harry's bony shoulder.

"Oh, sorry," Harry murmured, blushing a deep red. He'd actually forgotten he was still carrying the blond around.

"No harm done," Draco said with a small smile, surreptitiously rubbing his aching torso. "So, how about some lunch before we have to brave the rest of the world once more?"

"You go ahead, I'm not very hungry any more," Harry groused, still pacing around the room, muttering under his breath.

HPDM

In the end, Harry did eat something. Together the two Malfoys were deadly and no mere mortal could withstand their charm. Nevertheless, it was a very unhappy Boy Who Lived who went to his next class, the Forgotten Arts. He was not looking forward to being in the centre of attention once more; he had had quite enough of that over the years. Nothing good ever came from it. At least before they'd had a 'good' reason, thinking he was the Heir of Slytherin or some such, but this time? Just because he no longer dressed like a ragamuffin they thought it was alright to try and snag him, even thought they knew he was with Draco? Was stupidity one of the qualifications to become a wizard?

Grumbling under his breath, Harry took a seat at the far back of the classroom, having learned his lesson. At least no one would be able to send him go-go eyes in this class. Keeping his head down, Harry kept his attention firmly on the top of his desk until the bell rang, signalling the start of the class. With a bang the door burst open and an elderly wizard with hair flying in every direction strode into the classroom, calling out cheerfully, "Welcome to the Forgotten Arts. I am Professor Peregrine Sprout, and I will be teaching you this semester. Yes, Professor Pomona Sprout is my younger sister," the Professor said before anyone could ask. There was really no need to ask though the family resemblance was striking.

"This class is called the Forgotten Arts, but the things I and your other Professors are going to be teaching you, aren't really forgotten just very rare in today's society. For some reason not many are born nowadays with talents for working with woods, precious stones and minerals and so forth. Scholars have yet to solve this mystery. But do not despair, even if this type of magic doesn't come naturally to you, you will still be able to learn and use it to decorate your home. After all, when it comes down to it, what it really takes is willpower and intent.

"Today you will begin trying your hands at sculpturing. It may sound easy, but I will tell you now; it is not. It may sound useless to some, but you will be surprised at the things you will be able to do with the right spells." Professor Sprout said, sending each student a toothpick.

Draco glanced over at Harry, raising an eyebrow, silently questioning the saneness of their teacher.

"Don't worry; I haven't lost my marbles, not yet." Sprout chuckled. Waving his wand the toothpicks grew until each desk held a nice log, standing two foot high. "This is maple wood. You will be working with other types of wood later on when you have gotten a feel for how to work with this type of material. Do not be afraid to try, the house elves will still be able to use it for firewood, I assure you." the Professor chuckled at his own wit. "It will probably take you a few tries to get it right. As I said, this is very much about willpower and intent, quite different from the magic you've worked with so far, where the words of the spell takes care of that for you.

"The incantation is Didedoum. A nice drawn out 'I' and 'E' with a slight emphasis on the 'um'. I want you to look at your logs and try to imagine what they would look good as. What comes to your mind? A bear? A dolphin? A hand? Whatever it is, hold on to that image and place the tip of your wand on the log and say the incantation. Like this." Sprout said demonstrating the spell. The log seemed to contort and when it stilled, an elephant was standing on the desk.

"This might not look like much," Sprout said looking mischievously around the class. "But what if I did this?" With a flick of the wand, the elephant was on the floor. A whispered charm and the small statue grew to life-size proportion. An animation spell and the elephant swung its trunk and let out a mighty trumpet.

The class stared in stunned silence. Then most of them broke into an impulsive round of applause.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Harry whispered, and Draco just knew the youth was thinking of way to apply this to future battles and pranks.

"Thank you class, settle down now. I want to see you try," Sprout called after restoring the statue to its original unanimated state.

Harry looked down at the log and tried to think of something. His mind was a blank though. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't come up with an image of what he wanted to create. Acting on an impulse he placed the log on its side, but found that that didn't help him much. Huffing a sigh, he leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

It was while he was staring at the grey stones, not thinking of anything in particular, that an image came to him. He tried to focus on it, only to have it slipping away from him.

Trying to keep his mind blank, the image crept back in, almost like a shy animal. The more you looked at it the more skittish it became, but if you ignored it, it became bolder and came closer.

When the image was as clear as he figured it would get, Harry placed the tip of his wand on the log and whispered the spell, not daring to look. It was Draco's indrawn breath that made Harry dare to look down to take a look at what he'd created.

There standing proudly, his head held high, was Prongs. To his left was Padfoot, in his customary 'hey come and play with me' posture, with his front paws against the ground and his back end held high, tail swishing, mouth open and tongue lolling in a happy dog grin. To the stags other side sat Moony. The wolf was much more dignified than the Grim, but you still could see the pleasure and contentment oozing of it at the sight of his  
friends. He too had his mouth open in a happy wolf smile; tongue lolling and ears perched forward.

"My, my, my, not bad at all, twenty-five points to Gryffindor. It would seem you have some talent for this Mr. Potter," Professor Sprout said putting the statue down gently, giving Harry a new toothpick to work with.

Harry hardly heard him; he was too caught up in his memories.

"You alright Harry?" Draco asked softly placing a hand on his mate's arm.

Startled Harry looked over at the blond and managed a smile. "I'm fine. It just took me by surprise, is all," he reassured Draco, visibly pulling himself together.

"Good. Then maybe you could give me some pointers? I don't think I have any talent for this," Draco groused looking with disgust at his 'masterpiece'.

Harry bit back a laugh. He was guessing Draco had tried to create a Kneazle, but it had ended up contorted and twisted as if it was under _Crucio_ or some similar curse.

"Not bad for a first try," Professor Sprout said having come back to their side. "Do try and fixate on the image in you mind more firmly before you try next time," he added giving the blond a new toothpick as well, vanishing the first one with a flick of his wand.

"That's easy for him to say," Draco grumbled under his breath. "Every time I try and concentrate, the image I'm after slips through my fingers. How am I supposed to 'fixate' on it if it does that?"

"Do what I did. I had the same problem, until I tried the opposite. I thought of nothing special until that popped into my mind. By not thinking about it, and by not thinking of anything else either, the image became clearer and clearer in my mind. When I figured it couldn't get any clearer I said the spell and there you have it."

"Hmmm, it's worth a try I suppose," Draco grumbled, slouching down in his seat.

Harry gave him an amused glance, but turned his gaze to his new log. What should he do this time? Letting his mind wander, he noted Ron and Hermione at the front of the classroom.

During the summer, during the few moments they'd actually spent together, they had spent quite a bit of time discussing what classes they wanted to take, and which they were qualified for. Neither of his friends had expressed any interested in the Forgotten Arts class though, until they found out that Harry was going to sign up for it whether they did or not. By the next day, they suddenly had changed their minds and ended up signing up  
for the class as well. He wasn't sure it was because they had become genuinely interested once they'd read a bit more about the class, or because they had been told to by others.

Not wanting to get angry, Harry pulled his thoughts from dangerous ground and let his gaze drift around the room. From what he could see, no one was having much better luck than Draco had. Mentally shrugging, Harry's eyes were caught by Ron's red hair glistening in the sun. It really was very red. From the red of the hair Harry's mind wandered to all the times he and Ron had played chess. From there it went to McGonagall's giant chess set in first year, and he suddenly remembered the elephant Sprout had just done and he wondered idly if you could make a chess set where all the figures were animals.

Instantly his mind sharpened and he considered the idea. The king would be a lion of course, and the queen a lioness. The knight would be a zebra, the pawns? Antelopes he decided after some thinking. The towers could be elephants, and the bishops a pair of cheetahs.

Nodding to himself, Harry put the wand to the log and spoke the spell. There was a strong flash and then a tinkering sound as many small pieces fell to the desk. The class as one turned and looked at him. Harry grinned sheepishly, "Ooops?" he said ducking his head and picking up one of the chess pieces. It was the king and the smug grin he wore reminded him of the Malfoy smirk he'd been subjected to so many times in the past.

"Wonderful! 50 points to Gryffindor. It would seem you really do have talent for this type of magic Mr. Potter," Professor Sprout said excitedly examining the chess pieces as well. Pulling a toothpick from his pocket, this one black, he proceeded to show Harry how to create a copy of what he had already created and soon he was the proud owner of two sets of chessmen.

"If you stay after class I'll show you how to create a chess board. You will have to find out on your own how to animate them though," Sprout said with a smile and a wink. "Why don't you start with the homework for next class? Read chapter one and two from '_How to Capture an Image and Mould it_' and summarize them, minimum length: 1 foot.

Harry nodded and pulled his book out.

Draco had watched Harry and the Professor with a small pleased smile. This was his Harry, the one with glowing, shining eyes and a happy smile adorning his face. Carefully capturing the image, he whispered the spell; afraid that he would botch things again. Looking down, he felt a surge of happiness and smugness at the perfect bust he had created of his mate. Harry was smiling; his eyes bright with happiness and his hair looked windblown as if he'd been out flying, or riding, his scar standing out proudly on the forehead.

"Excellent! 25 points to Slytherin. It would seem you have some talent in this area as well Mr. Malfoy. Here, try something else," Sprout was almost dancing with joy, pushing a new log onto Draco's desk.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious and not wanting for anyone else to see _his_ Harry, Draco shrunk the bust and put it carefully in his pocket, wrapping it in his silk handkerchief. Turning back to his log, he felt his mind go blank again. Trying to let his mind wander he suddenly realised the Harry he had captured was the one he had seen this morning, galloping on his steed, free as the wind. Thinking of the horses, he decided that was as good an image as any and he did his best to coax it to the front of his mind. In the end, it  
became an image of Harry, his horse and Fang racing the wind but he could live with that. Muttering the spell he watched in satisfaction as his image was forever preserved in the wood. He had even managed to capture the blades of the grass under the animals' feet.

"This is wonderful Mr. Malfoy. 25 points to Slytherin," Sprout had once more materialised at their side, almost as if he had apparated there. Picking up the statue, he examined it carefully.

"Tell me Mr. Malfoy, do you by any chance sketch?"

"Yes I do." Draco replied, too tired all of a sudden to hide his surprise.

Giving the blond boy a sharp look Sprout nodded. "I thought as much. Your work is very detailed, extremely so and it takes a lot out of your magic to recreate all those fine details. In time, you will get used to it, or learn not to be quite as detailed while working with wood as when you use pen and pad. I want you to go to the hospital wing and get an energy potion. You will need it. Please make sure he does so, Mr. Potter."

Harry nodded and packed his things, helping Draco to do the same. Shouldering both their bags he gently took hold of the blond's arm and led him towards the door.

"Ah yes, I almost forgot. Here," Sprout handed them 6 toothpicks. "Until next time I want you to create 3 figures each, points will be given for individuality and creativity. Be wild boys, use your imagination," he winked at them and shooed them out the door.

Once the door had closed behind them, Draco looked at Harry. "That man is barmy, utterly and completely barmy!"

"I like him," Harry grinned, urging the blond to start walking.

"You would!" Draco snorted but he was too tired to keep up the banter.

HPDM

"What have you done this time?" Poppy demanded coming down on them like an  
avenging angel.

"Draco here used a bit too much magic in class and Professor Sprout sent us up here to have him checked," Harry smiled sweetly, happy he wasn't the one caught in the nurse's crosshair for once.

"Humph, that Forgotten Art's class. It always ends with one or two students ending up here, overtaxing themselves or having strange reactions to the material. Hop op on a bed dear and I'll look you over."

"Take that one," Harry nodded steering Draco to the bed he usually ended up using. "It has the best cushion charm on the mattress," he explained.

"Really Mr. Potter, how many times do I have to tell you that I do not use cushion charms on my beds?"

"One more?"

"Humph, that is what you said _last_ time I asked." Turning her back on Harry, Poppy ran her wand over Draco and went to fetch a bottle. "Drink this and then get some sleep," she said sternly.

"But what about class? We have Potions next."

"It is either sleep now and be free to go by dinner time. Or go to class, fall into your cauldron and end up here for a week."

"I'll take the nap," Draco said quickly, earning himself a triumphant smile.

"I thought you'd see things my way," Poppy smirked and left them alone.

Harry sighed and turned a few beans into a comfortable divan. "Get some rest Draco, I'll call your father and ask him to explain things to Severus. I'm sure he won't fault us. How were we to know this would happen?"

"Considering how Severus views his potions he can too fault us for missing his class," Draco murmured, falling asleep before he had completely finished the sentence.

Harry smiled softly at him. Asleep the normally arrogant boy looked so young and sweet. Shaking his head to get those thoughts out of his head, Harry looked around to make sure they were alone before grabbing the pendant Lucius had given him the day before. He figured it was best to tell what had happened before anyone got worried, hopefully that would save him a lot of aggravation he could do without.

* * *

**A/N:** A few have asked me who Lucius' mate is; hanging my head, and I thought my hints had been so clear… sigh. Take heart, who it is will be revealed in the next chapter, grin. 

And to all of you wanting to know when Harry and Draco will get together... All I can only say is, be a bit patience, after all, it _is_ only their fourth day together, please allow at least a week or two to pass before they get deeper involved with each other, lol. (Draco will have a lot of wooing to do first.)

**Next time:**  
Lucius and Poppy have a little chat about the boys.  
Stay tuned.


	17. A Serious Discussion

**Summary:  
**Draco finds his mate and a tentative relationship is beginning to build  
The boys return to class 1  
The boys return to class 2

This will in time be a slash-story. Don't like it? Don't read it.

As always a big thank you to Keikokin for being my beta-reader, if I could I'd give you a chocolate covered Lucius, lol.

* * *

**A Serious Discussion**

Lucius strode into the hospital wing and up to the only bed with the privacy screen drawn around it. Entering inside, his stern visage melted into a soft smile. Draco was fast asleep curled up around his pillow, looking five years old. Next to the bed curled up on a divan was Harry, also fast asleep, with a book on his chest, held loosely by lax fingers.

Stepping up to the sleeping brunet, Lucius gently removed the book and the glasses, covering him with a blanket. After he was sure they were both resting comfortably, he went in search of the nurse.

"Checking up on the boys Mr. Malfoy?" Poppy asked, her voice laced with humour.

"Yes. I was told they had ended up here, but the details were a bit sketchy. Could you perhaps fill me in on what exactly happened?" Lucius asked giving the stern nurse a charming smile.

Poppy blushed. Then she laughed. "You always were a charmer Lucius Malfoy. Want some tea?"

"I'd be delighted."

Poppy muttered something under her breath and summoned an elf to get a tea tray.

"So what really happened?" Lucius asked settling back with a teacup in his hands, pleasantries dealt with.

"Well, for once it wasn't the Potter boy, and thank Merlin for that," Pomfrey said heartfelt. "I've never met a boy more prone to accidents and weird happenings." She levelled an eye at Malfoy. "I assume you know they had their first lesson in that dratted class Forgotten Arts today?"

"Yes, I was aware of that," Lucius nodded.

"Your son, from what Professor Sprout informed me, created two wonderful pieces out of wood. Only his images were too detailed, and his magic had to work too hard to recreate the picture he had thought up. This is no cause for alarm. Now that we are aware of his talents and tendencies, Professor Sprout will make sure he doesn't overdo it. In time, Draco's magic will learn to cope and he will no longer get exhausted. Practise makes perfect and all that rot," she added with a small smile.

"From what I understand, your son has quite a future as an artist. I have never seen Peregrine so excited about a student in his class before and from what I understand; Harry is just as talented as Draco is. I hope you will encourage them to explore this newfound talent of theirs. Merlin knows we need some skilled craftsmen considering the mediocre skill that is out  
there today," Pomfrey said with a shudder.

"It would seem I need to have a chat with Professor Sprout," Lucius mused. He too was well aware of how rare the true skill to work with wood and stone was today. If someone wanted to create a Manor nowadays, it would be but a shadow of the grand buildings done in the past. The talent to form the materials to the wielders wishes just wasn't there anymore. No one knew why, but ever since the founders time those skills had dwindled; as if building Hogwarts had drained the land until nothing was left. He knew that was merely fanciful thinking, but the fact remained, that talent had all but disappeared in British wizards. Draco and his mate could make a handsome profit and live very comfortable lives if they chose to pursue this line of work.

Of course, between the Malfoy and Potter fortunes, the boys didn't need to work a single day, but he didn't think either were suited for a life as playboys. Turning his attention back to the nurse, he asked, "What should I be looking for?" knowing she would understand what he wanted to know.

"If they work with wood make sure they don't create more than two pieces at a time. If it is very detailed, no more than one piece. Also, make sure there is at least two hours, preferably more, before they try to make the next one. You probably will have your hands full making sure they don't overdo it," Poppy said with a chuckle. "In the past, those with talent for this type of magic have had a tendency to overdo things. If they seem tired, put them to bed and have me or Severus check them over. Don't dose them with energy potions thinking it will take care of the problem, since too much could make them seriously ill."

"I'll make sure they behave." Lucius vowed.

"Like I said, that could be more difficult than you realise. Just wait until they start working with precious stones and minerals," she said knowingly.

"Oh?"

"Yes, it takes some serious magical energy and willpower to mould the stone to what you want to make, and still have the same stone and not cause it to change into something else. I expect quite a few students will end up here with severe cases of headaches and/or exhaustions."

"And they allow this class to be taught to children?" Lucius asked aghast. He hadn't taken the class when he was a student here and he couldn't remember any of his friends doing it either. Right now, that decision seemed very wise and he wondered if it was too late to talk the boys out of the class as well.

"No, but to young adults, yes," Poppy replied dryly bringing him out of his thoughts. "You know as well as I do that some skills needs to be discovered and developed when the children are still young or the talent will be locked away for ever, no longer accessible. But don't worry, we are keeping close eyes on the children and none have had any long lasting effects," Poppy added in an attempt to reassure him.

"Pardon me for wanting to keep my son and his mate safe," Lucius said somewhat surly.

"I'm afraid that is not possible," Pomfrey stated with a knowing smile that infuriated the aristocrat for some reason.

"However, I am glad you came here today. There is something I'd like to talk to you about and it concerns Harry."

"Oh?"

"Yes. The boy is far too small for his age, not to mention skinny. I have noticed that when he is stressed or under pressure, he has a tendency not to eat. I want you and your son to keep a close eye on his eating habits. Try to keep him relaxed, and keep him away from any 'adventures'. The boy has had enough of those to last him a lifetime!"

Lucius noted the exasperation and filed it away for later. He had a feeling the nurse knew more of what had been going on for the past five years than she was letting on. He also flashed back to the scene earlier in the kitchen, when it had taken his and Draco's combined charm to get the teen to nibble on some toast and drink a cup of sweetened tea. It only proved to him that the nurse did know what she was talking about Lucius promised himself to pay close attention to what else Poppy had to say.

"There is another thing. Normally I wouldn't be discussing one of my patients with an outsider, or without said patients consent, but considering you are now his legal guardian..." the nurse put her cup down and walked over to the door to peek into the infirmary. The boys were still sleeping and no one else was present.

Closing the door and putting up several strong privacy and anti-listening charms Poppy retook her seat. Leaning forward and looking Lucius in the eyes she said in a stern and business like voice: "I've never agreed on how that poor boy has been treated. I have butted head with Albus on more than one occasion, but since he was acting as the boy's guardian there wasn't much I could do.

"Harry came to us that first year looking extremely pale. He was far too small and skinny. When he landed himself here after a Quidditch accident, I did some scans. He was severely undernourished and there are signs of broken bones that have been healed with magic, but not by a professional. I gave him a few potions and did what I could to rectify the problems I  
encountered.

"If that had been that, I would have put it out of my mind. But each year he returns unwell, underfed... I think you get the picture. This constant abuse has taken its toll and it has affected his skeletal, and even his nervous system. He has not been able to put up a fat reserve or put on a bulk of muscles, there has been nothing for his body to work with to accomplish that.

"His years here at Hogwarts have put added strains on his system. Not many know this, but whatever the children eat during meals here at Hogwarts, are used to restore the drain on their magic the classes put on them. Not much is left for the body to use. That is why the children tend to grow like weeds during the summer break, when they are prohibited to use magic. That in fact, is the reason for that rule. They need the break to give their bodies a chance to catch up. But in the case of Mr. Potter, he has never been given that chance since his muggle guardians' neglect and starve him."

"And you are saying that Albus Dumbledore knew about this?" Lucius asked not believing his ears.

"Yes. Unfortunately, the blood protection set up to protect the boy from Death Eaters made his Aunt's and Uncle's house the safest place for him to stay," Poppy said giving him a pointed look

Unable to sit still, Lucius jumped to his feet and began to pace. The blood protection nonsense would only work if there were love between the protector and the protected, something Dumbledore must be well aware of, so why not remove the boy from a clearly unsuitable household? Because it would look bad for the man who put him there? Shaking his head Lucius strived for calm. He would ponder this news later. There were more pressing matters to deal with first.

"Is there something that can be done now, or is it too late?""It is almost never too late!" Poppy scoffed. "I will need to do a thorough examination, much more thorough than the ones I've managed in the past. If my suspicions are correct, I might have to re-grow 80 of the boy's bones. It will be uncomfortable for the poor dear, but manageable. It will be done in stages, of course. He will also need to take quite a few supplements to give his body the boost of minerals his body is lacking. I am sure Severus  
will be happy to brew those.

"What concerns me though is the need for his body to rest. He cannot use a lot of magic while this is happening. His body will simply not be able to handle the stress of repairing itself and recharging the magic that is spent in classes. You might have to take him out of school for a few months."

"Months?"

"Yes, months. It will take that long to completely heal him and ensure that there are no problems later on in life. You must understand Mr. Malfoy, this type of neglect, if it is not treated, could take years off his life."

Lucius paled and sank back into his chair, his legs shaking. "It's that serious?" he asked, unable to believe what he was hearing.

Poppy merely nodded, a grave look on her face.

"Thank you, I need to consider what you have told me carefully. Harry needs to be informed as well. I really appreciate you telling me this, and I realise how hard it must have been for you," Lucius said, acknowledging her dilemma of keeping the things she knew confidential warring with the desire, the _need_ to save a patient.

"Thank you Mr. Malfoy. I know you will do what is right for the boys, for both of them," Poppy smiled gently, taking down the wards she had put up.

"Is it alright if I sit with them?"

"Of course, Draco should be asleep for another hour or so. You are free to take him to their rooms once he wakes up. What he'll need then is a decent meal and I'm sure you can manage that on your own."

Lucius laughed. "Madame, if there is one thing my son knows, it is how to make sure his stomach isn't suffering."

Poppy chuckled and stepped over to her desk. Giving Lucius a wink, she handed him a book.  
"Why don't you read for a while, while waiting for the sleepy heads to wake up?" she asked urging him out the door.

Lucius chuckled and allowed her to shoo him from her office.

However, all traces of laughter disappeared when he settled at the end of the divan, gently placing Harry's feet across his lap. To think that this courageous boy had been mistreated so badly and still come out with such a sweet nature.

_He_ does _have a temper though, from what Severus has told me. But who can blame him? Being forced to spend the summer with the very people who have abused you all your life, locked up in a cupboard for Merlin's sake. Beaten, starved, what else did they do to him?  
_  
_And Albus... how could he let this happen? No way am I letting Harry near that old fool ever again. Perhaps I should just take them home now and teach them what they need to know myself! I am sure Severus and I can deal with all their lessons between us.  
_  
_Severus... he cannot resign as long as he wears that cursed mark. I cannot do that to him. Seeing Draco is the only bright thing left in his life. Then there is us, the compulsion keeping us apart is so thin, it is practically nonexistent, it would take so little to break it for good. Can I really up and leave when we finally are able to live in the same place? Able to see each other daily? What if that daily contact is helping the weakening somehow? Dare I take the risk that staying apart will somehow strengthen the bond with Narcissa? _

_And what about the boys? Can I really isolate them at the Manor? Merlin help me, what should I do?_

_  
_HPDM

By the time Draco awoke, Lucius still had no answers to the questions plaguing him, but he did know a bit more about Harry's situation. The book he had been given was guide for healers on how to treat patients who'd been starved and tortured while in captivity in either of the last two wars. It made his blood boil to think that what those muggles had subjected Harry to was too severe to be considered 'mere' abuse.

The book had given him some ideas of what was needed to be done to help Harry recover, and getting him eating regularly was an important place to start. With Draco's aid, he felt sure they would be able to monitor the eating habits of one boy, especially when that boy was the chosen one of a very protective Veela.

"Hello father, have you been waiting long?" Draco asked sitting up in bed, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

"No son. How do you feel? I understand you did well in class today," Lucius smiled softly at his son.

"Yeah! You should see what I did dad!" Draco said brimming with enthusiasm, his eyes shining in remembrance.

"Lets wake sleeping beauty here and you can show me while you eat," Lucius stated, gently shaking the nearest shoulder.

Draco looked down at this mate and his eyes went soft as he watched Harry come awake.

Blinking sleepily Harry looked around and blushed when he realised he'd fallen asleep. Sitting up carefully he looked over at Draco, frowning slightly in concern. "How do you feel?"

"I'm fine, but starving. Should we tell Pomfrey or just sneak out?"

"Sneak out," Harry promptly replied, standing up and gathering their things.

Lucius chuckled softly. "Considering you are free to go, how about we just stroll out of here and return to your rooms?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Draco complained, but climbed out of bed without further ado.

Lucius merely shook his head and urged the boys to leave; picking up Draco's bag - not wanting the boy to exert himself just yet - and waited patiently while Harry banished the divan he'd been sleeping on, before he managed to get them out of there.

HPDM

"I'm so hungry I could eat a horse!" Draco stated walking into their living room.

"I wouldn't say such things where your horse can hear you Draco. She might object," Harry teased.

"For your information, my horse isn't here, is she?"

"True, but who knows what things she might hear?" Harry said, his eyes dancing with mischief.

Draco looked worried for a moment, and then he ruefully grinned. "Prat!" he said, giving Harry a show.

"Children," Lucius admonished stepping inside, allowing Salazar to close behind him.

"About the food, what would you like?"

Draco shrugged, "Doesn't matter as long as it is hot and plentiful."

"Harry?"

Harry opened his mouth but closed it again, shaking his head slightly. "It doesn't matter. Order what you like Mr. Malfoy," he said taking his bag to his room.

_Mr. Malfoy eh?_ Lucius thought placing his hand on Harry's arm. "What were you going to say child?" he asked gently.

Harry looked up at him with a pensive look. "It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me child. You know you can tell me anything right? And that I won't be angry with you?"

Harry nodded hesitantly.

"Then what would you like to eat?" Lucius asked once more, keeping eye-contact with the skittish child.

"It's silly."

"I'm sure it isn't." Lucius tried to reassure him. _Merlin, how can he be so confident in one moment, butting heads with Dumbledore without hesitation, then be so insecure and unsure of himself he doesn't even dare to tell us what he wishes for dinner? _

"I'd really like some pizza," Harry admitted shyly.

"Good choice Harry," Draco said wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "I haven't had pizza in ages! Not since the last time we were in Italy and that was what? Three years ago?"

"Two actually, I wouldn't mind some either. Why don't you two go and freshen up while I'll call a house elf?" Lucius asked, sensing that Harry needed a moment to himself.

"Sure dad. Lots of cheese, ham, shrimps, and pineapples on mine please," Draco said hurrying up the stairs to his room.

"What would you like on yours Harry?"

Harry thought for a moment. "The same as Draco I think."

Lucius nodded and watched with a sad smile when Harry almost scurried into his room, closing the door behind him. They had a lot of work cut out for them if they were to heal all the wounds that child carried.

Snapping his fingers, he summoned an elf and gave it their request. At the last moment, he added a message for Severus, thinking the Potions Master might want to join them during their meal.

HPDM

Looking up from the book he was reading, Lucius felt his face break out into a smile at the sight of the Potions Professor. "You look like something the cat dragged in. Tough day?" he asked in mock concern.

Severus gave him a glare. "You'd be tired too if you'd been surrounded by dunderheads all day that spend far more time blowing up their cauldrons then bothering to follow a few simple instructions," he snapped, but with no real heat behind his words.

What there was evident was a weariness that went soul deep. For a moment Severus allowed him to see behind the mask and what he saw made him long, no _ache _to take him in his arms and soothe it all away. Then he blinked and the mask was firmly back in place and Lucius once more cursed their fathers for condemning them to this fate. He almost wished the bastards were still alive so he could kill them; slowly and extremely painfully.

Severus gave him a rueful smile; as if he'd been able to read his thoughts. Then the moment was destroyed when Draco came bounding down the stairs calling out: "Father. Severus! Look what I did in class today!"

Proudly he held out his two sculptures to the two men that meant the world to him, reminding them of when he'd been a small child, wishing to share with them what he'd managed that day. Unlike the sometimes forced praise he'd received when he was a toddler, neither man had any problems praising his achievements today.

"This is really good my dragon," Lucius said turning the bust over, looking at it from all angles. Draco had managed to capture the boy precisely, even though he himself had never seen this look on Harry's face before.

Severus was also admiring the detailed work of the rider, his horse, and dog. Even though he might have wished for another motif, he never let on and instead told his godson how proud of him he was.

"This is nothing, you should see the stuff Harry made," Draco said, secretly pleased with the warm words he'd been given. "Hey, Harry, why don't you show dad and Sev what you did today?"

Harry felt unsure of what to do. He wanted to refuse, brushing Draco's request aside, stating that it was nothing. But he knew that if he did that, he'd only appear to be fishing for compliments. As if he was an attention seeker, which he wasn't! He really _did_ think it was nothing to make a fuss over. But if he said _that_ the others would feel compelled to contradict  
him and make an even bigger fuss to try and make him feel comfortable or something.

Sighing softly he decided to just get it over with, and pulled the wooden figures he'd made earlier out of his pockets. Resizing them to their original size, he placed them gently on the table, next to the things Draco had created.

Severus froze, and then glowered darkly at the sight of the three animals, but for Harry's sake, he held his tongue. He concentrated on the chess figures instead and was genuinely impressed with what he saw.

"This is really well done Harry," he said turning the lion between his fingers. "Are you going to animate them?"

"I don't know. The Professor was going to show me how to make a chessboard after class, but he never got the chance. You think I should?" he asked a bit hesitantly, but figured that if anyone was going to tell him the truth it was the Potions Master.

"Yes I do," Severus said handing the lion over to Lucius. "I have never seen chess men quite like these before. The details are incredible and the idea well though out. If you sent a copy of these to the company that makes and sells chess sets, I bet they'd be interested in your idea."

"Really?" Harry asked a bit stunned. He had never expected such praise from the usually sarcastic man. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "You aren't just saying that to make Draco happy, are you?"

"Mr. Potter!" Severus snapped in a manner Harry recognised only too well. "I would never praise someone unless they have earned it!" he stated. "These are bloody brilliant and you know it!"

"No, they're not," Harry said looking away.

Gentle, yet strong fingers grasped his chin forcing him to look into onyx eyes. "Humph, and to think I used to consider you overconfident!" Severus muttered to himself, looking deeply into green eyes, noting for maybe the first time the insecurity lurking in their depths. "Harry, your work with wood shows real talent, a talent very few posses today. Your chessmen really  
are that good. They are original. The details are exquisite and I am positive the chess company would jump at the idea of using your design," he said gently, but with such conviction Harry had to believe him. Blushing faintly he smiled, ducked his head and whispered a soft 'thank you'.

Severus let him go and looked over at the table. "Looks like the food has arrived, I don't know about you but I am starving. I skipped lunch today."

"Severus Snape, how many times do I have to tell you not to skip meals?" Lucius groaned in mock despair, thankful for his attempt to lighten the mood.

"Too many times to count?" Severus teased.

"Humph. No wonder you're only skin and bones." Lucius groused getting to his feet.

"Why Luce, I didn't know you noticed," Severus laughed.

Lucius didn't though; merely looked at him with sadness and longing. Severus caught the look and gave him a soft, reassuring smile. 'Soon' he mouthed, wishing with all his heart it were true.

Draco and Harry caught the exchange, but chose not to comment. Instead, they settled at the table and loaded their plates, hungrily digging into the food.

HPDM

Once the dishes and the leftovers had been sent back to the kitchen Harry looked over at Severus, carefully gauging his mood. The food and the good company seemed to have mellowed the Potions Master quite a bit and Harry deliberated with himself if he dared to approach the Professor concerning the things he'd found that morning. Deciding to take a chance he tentatively said, "Professor? Do you know why Dumbledore made both me and Draco Captains for our Quidditch teams?"

Severus' mood immediately darkened. Taking a deep breath, he held it before slowly letting it out. It wasn't the boy's fault the Headmaster couldn't stop his scheming and plotting. "He told us during the latest staff meeting that he would make you the captain in spite of both my and Minerva's protests. She wants you on the team make no mistakes about that, she has every intention of keeping that cup. But we both agreed it would send the wrong signals if you just waltzed back on the team without a tryout, no matter that there is no competition for you.

"But Albus overruled us, as always, claiming it would be a good chance for you to practice leadership. There would be just enough pressure for you to sweat under the yolk of leadership, but he was sure it wasn't more than you could handle."

Harry snorted and shook his head. Would he ever be free to live his own life?

Severus watched him with a raised eyebrow. "I take it you do not agree?" he asked.

"Oh I'm sure I could do it alright, if I wanted to. The thing is - I don't. Moreover, I don't like it that no one bothered to ask _me_ whether I wanted this or not. Once more it was just assumed that I would be thrilled to get this chance. Well, guess what? Draco and I have talked things over and I will be the one quitting the team, not him."

"Harry, are you absolutely sure about this? You are a brilliant Quidditch player after all," Lucius said, wanting to make sure Harry knew what he was giving up. "If you are to play as a professional you need to keep playing. Your chances will be even bigger if you become captain, especially if you are successful, which I am certain you will be."

Harry gave the blond a grateful smile. "Thank you for your concern Lucius, but I have made up my mind. And it isn't something I decided on the spot either. I thought about it during the summer, while I was making copies of the Black library. I now know what all this is about. I know I won't have a moment's peace until Voldie is gone. I don't know yet how to manage that, but I figured the answer is somewhere in those books. Or in the books I got from the junkshop. I need to study them, and I won't have the time or the peace to do it if I am the Quidditch Captain. Ron alone would hunt me down and plague me with strategy every chance he get. Besides, I don't know the first thing of what a captain is supposed to be doing. All I know is how to be a Seeker. I have no idea how to formulate plans for the other players, or how to cheer them on, or how to get them to do their best. Besides, I have no desire to play professional Quidditch. That's Ron's dream, not mine."

"Are you quite sure you won't regret your decision?" Lucius persisted. He knew how happy Draco had been when he'd been given the Captaincy, but he also knew that this could very easily come between the boys, putting an unnecessary strain on their relationship.

"Yes I am sure. What no one seems to understand is the fact that I love flying. Not Quidditch itself. Don't take me wrong, it is a great feeling holding the Snitch in your hand and knowing you are the one to win the game for your team, but I get the same feeling racing my horse against the wind. So to me, not playing isn't such a great loss."

His three companions sat back and considered his words. Severus felt a knot untie in his stomach. He had been so angry with the Headmaster for forcing Draco from his well-earned spot. Some of that anger had been transferred to Potter, since he had been so certain the boy would grab onto the honour with both hands and not let go. Once again, the boy had surprised him by not doing the expected.

Lucius relaxed back in his seat and tried to analyse what he'd heard. Harry was far too mature and he cursed the war and Dumbledore who had forced him to grow up too quickly. He could tell from the necklace that the teen was telling the truth. To him it was no big sacrifice giving the team up and Lucius felt a warm glow of pride. Draco's Veela side had chosen well and he couldn't wait to see the man Harry would grow into. He had a feeling that the man would accomplish many grand and wondrous things, shaping their world to become something better than it was.

Draco beamed at his mate and could have done a happy dance around the room if he wasn't too dignified for such things. Harry cared for him. He really and truly cared for him and wasn't afraid to step back and do things just because he knew it would make Draco happy. He could have shouted with joy. Harry might not love him now, but the Veela was now certain that one day soon, he would. And then his life would become complete.

HPDM

The four sat together in a comfortable silence. But eventually the Potions Master began to fidget and soon after he excused himself. Helga Hufflepuff's book was calling to him and he was eager to finally get a chance to study it. Lucius was no less eager and he decided to follow Severus down to the dungeons. Besides, the boys could do with some time alone.

Draco went to fetch Longbottom's journal and made himself comfortable in one of the armchairs, while Harry settled on the floor with several pieces of parchment to write a letter to Moony. So much had happened in so few days it felt as if it was almost a lifetime since he'd seen the werewolf last. Choosing his words carefully he told Remus what had happened since he returned to school. It was with a sad smile he pictured Sirius' reaction and he couldn't help but wonder if his godfather would have ever accepted Draco and Harry together.

Draco noted his mate's sombre mood but chose not to interfere. Some things you just had to endure alone. But that didn't mean it didn't tear at his heart to see him so down.

Having finished his extremely long letter, Harry settled down with his copy of "_How to Capture an Image and Mould it_", looking through it for tips on what to do with a sculpture once you've finished. Following the advice in chapter three he carefully oiled the wood, making it glisten in the firelight. He also added an anti-scuff charm and lastly gift-wrapped it carefully. Maybe the memento could give the last Marauder some peace. At least Harry hoped it would, and maybe lessen some of his guilt for getting Sirius killed.

Putting the things to the side, he would visit Hedwig tomorrow morning, Harry quietly said goodnight and went to bed.

Draco watched him go, his silver eyes filled with concern but there wasn't much  
he could do to help.

**

* * *

**

**A/N:** Wow! I can't believe how much response you gave me for the last chapter, you really missed me didn't you? I don't think I have ever felt as appreciated as an author before. A big thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers!Speaking of reviewers, I haven't forgotten that I promised you that I would post my responses at my live journal, but being sick put me behind. Add to that the fact that the muse hasn't been whispering in my ear lately, she's been fairly _screaming_ at me and I figured you would prefer an update to a review response. Don't worry though, the live journal will be up and running soon, just not as soon as I expected.

**Next Time:**  
Harry is musing about his relationship with Ron and Hermione  
Stay tuned…


	18. Nighttime Terrors and Tender Moments

**Summary:  
**Draco finds his mate and a tentative relationship is beginning to build  
The boys return to class 2  
Lucius and Poppy have a talk

This will in time be a slash-story. Don't like it? Don't read it.

Thank you Keikokin for you help with those pesky commas, grin.

**

* * *

****Nighttime Terrors and Tender Moments  
**  
**Day Five- Friday**

Draco woke with a start and an ear-piercing scream echoing in his ears. Bolting upright he panted, his heart beating wildly. What in Merlin's name had that been? He was brought up short when another scream echoed around the room and he realised it came from Harry.

Jumping out of his bed, the Veela rushed to his mate's side. Only to be stopped by the wards preventing him entrance. Cursing up a streak, he ran his hands through his hair. He needed to help his mate, but what could he do? He couldn't enter! Curse Dumbledore and his meddling!

A third scream made Draco's heart bleed. Unconsciously grabbing his necklace, he suddenly knew what he could do. "Lucius!" he called with desperation. "Father! Harry is having a nightmare and I can't get in! You have to help him! Please!" he begged, tears falling down his cheeks, unheeded.

"Calm down, my little dragon, I am on my way," he heard his father promise. Barely had the voice faded from his mind before the portrait was almost wrenched open and Lucius was at his side.

"Help him father," Draco pleaded and began to cry in earnest when Harry screamed again.

"NO! Sirius! SIRIUS!"

Lucius ran inside the room and gathered the thrashing teen into his arms, cursing the events that had cost the boy so much.

"Hush now Harry. You're safe," he murmured rocking the boy back and forth. It took several minutes, but eventually he managed to ease the poor child away from the nightmarish images that were holding him.

Not truly awake and only aware of the soft voice and the gentle arms holding him Harry broke down and began to cry; huge wrenching sobs that shook his entire body, all the while muttering "My fault, I'm so sorry, all my fault," over and over again.

"Oh Harry. No child, none of it was your fault," Lucius murmured trying to get through to the boy. Harry wasn't listening though and the blond was getting worried. Suddenly remembering his son Lucius made a decision and picked Harry up, blankets and all, and carried him into the living room. He transformed one of the couches into a large bed and settled against the headboard, Harry still in his arms.

Draco was at his side the second he stopped moving, sobbing as well and extremely distressed he'd been unable to come to his mate's aide. Lucius did his best to soothe them both, but it was a long time though before either of them fell back asleep.

HPDM

Harry was the first to wake up the next morning and he frowned at the weirdness of his pillow. It was hard and it moved. Opening a bleary eye he quickly scooted back and then blushed hotly at the sight of the two Malfoys. Belatedly he remembered his nightmare. And that he'd forgotten to put up silencing spells around his bed. Cursing himself for his stupidity, he slid out of the bed. Wanting to get away for a moment, at least until he'd had a chance to collect himself, he grabbed the letter to Remus and fled the room.

Shivering in the cold air Harry belatedly realised that maybe he should have put on some clothes before he fled the suite. Ah, well, it was too late now; he would just have to make sure not to be seen by anyone.

That notion lasted not five minutes before Harry was forced to stop and do something about his state of undress, since his bare feet were complaining too much about the cold stones and the rest of him wasn't too happy either. Not about to get a cold, Harry grabbed his wand, he fortunately had thought of taking it with him, and paused, unsure of what spell to use.

He didn't have anything he could transfigure into something warm, and he wasn't skilled enough at conjuring things to just magic clothes out of thin air. He could however conjure apples… Smiling to himself Harry did just that, creating three nice, mouth-watering red apples, two of which he immediately changed into a pair of boots and a warm robe. Slipping the clothes on, Harry sighed in pleasure and continued on his way, munching on the third apple as he travelled the corridors of Hogwarts.

He made it to the Owlery with little problem, not seeing a soul, not even Mrs. Norris, and he was greeted with soft hoots from the occupants of the tower. Smiling softly Harry greeted the birds, all the while looking for a special someone who came floating down to him on ghostly silent wings. Holding out his arm, Harry watched as Hedwig landed elegantly, ruffling her feathers back into place and wandering up his arm to his shoulder where she gave his ear a friendly nibble in greeting.

"Hi there girl, I'm sorry I haven't seen you for a while, but things have been just plain crazy lately," Harry said softly. Walking over to the windowsill, he settled down, after having cast a quick yet powerful cleaning charm, mindful not to jostle his passenger. As a safety precaution he also put up a powerful silencing charm, all too aware of the possibility of spies or just plain old busybodies.

"Oh Hedwig, you wouldn't believe what a weird start of school this has been!" Harry said with a soft sigh, stroking the soft feathers of Hedwig's chest. The owl promptly wandered back down her owner's arm, settling comfortably on his forearm giving him the look that to Harry said, 'Alright, I'm here now, tell me all about it'. Chuckling softly, the teen did just that.

"You know, every year I think to myself, 'There is no way things can get more weird. There is no way in hell this year can be topped'. But do you know what? Every year I am proven wrong. This year I found out on the first morning of school that I am Draco Malfoy's mate. Can you believe it? Finding out that Draco is a Veela was no shock, I mean, come on, with that complexion of his? But that he has chosen me of all people, yeah, that threw me for a loop. I mean, look at him and then look at me, can you say different as night and day? And I'm not talking about our colouring here.

"He is everything I used to want to be, suave, sophisticated, yeah, yeah, spoiled brat and a bully. I haven't forgotten what he was like before," Harry said almost defensively at the _look_ Hedwig gave him. Apparently the bird remembered only too well the rants he used to give about the blond prat who loved to torment him. "But that was before you know? No, I guess you don't," Harry added with a soft sigh.

"He is so different now from what he used to be, and I guess that is what has thrown me the most. Both he and his father act like they really and truly care about me. I don't know how to deal with that, Hedwig. The Dursley's never behaved like that towards me, and thinking back I can't think of one person who behaved towards me like those two do. Heck, even Professor Snape has began to act as if he cares whether I live or die. It's just plain weird Hedwig. I don't know what to do," he added, running a hand through his hair, mindful not to unsettle the avid listener on his other arm.

"I mean, I know I've told Draco that I will stand by him, and I guess I do mean that. It's not like I'm going to turn my back on him, and not just because I know it will kill him if I do… It's more like… I don't know! And I guess that is the problem, isn't it?" Harry said slowly, coming to a startling revelation. Looking back down at Hedwig, Harry ran his fingers through the soft feathers, attempting to marshal his thoughts. Over the years, the teen had found that things became much clearer if he talked it out with Hedwig, as if the owl somehow could read his mind and tell him what was wrong, or help him figure out what to do next. Not to mention that she was the only one who had never turned her back on him.

"I don't see what made Draco pick me as his mate," Harry said, trying the words out as he spoke them. "He could have had anyone he wanted, so why did he pick me of all people? I mean, we haven't' exactly been friends in the past, have we? He is the epitome of all things Slytherin and I'm the personification of a true Gryffindor. But then he did offer his hand in friendship that day, didn't he? When we met at Madam Malkin's, only I was too much of a prat and turned him down." Harry's face darkened in a scowl.

"More manipulations of Dumbledore's; It can't have been an accident that the first thing Hagrid told me, beside the fact that I was a wizard and that my parents had been as well, was that everyone who'd turned evil was or had been a Slytherin. Talk about oversimplifications! As if the House you are sorted into will determine if you are good or bad! It sure made an impact on an insecure eleven year old though, didn't it? And I fell for it hook, line and sinker," Harry sighed sadly, looking out the window and out over the Forbidden forest. "That bastard took so much from me, practically ruined my life, and for what? So he could have his precious saviour at beck and call, ready to sacrifice everything to save the world? How could he do that to me, Hedwig? Merlin, I was just a child, a baby, and he left me with those people, never checking up on me, leaving me in hell while he was safe here at Hogwarts playing the doddering Headmaster, winning over just about everyone's love and devotion."

Shaking his head sadly, Harry squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to allow the tears that had filled his eyes to fall.

"I mean, just take my new clothes," he went on once his throat had unclenched and he could speak again. "I get a set of decent clothes and suddenly everyone is falling over themselves to get my attention, what's up with that! If how I looked was so important, why in Merlin's name didn't anyone point it out to me sooner? Or did it fit in with some kind of image I was to portray? 'The poor little Hero who overcame every hardship thrown his way? But look, he is still modest and doesn't allow the fame to go to his head! What were they afraid of, that I would become a new Gilderoy Lockhart? Did they know me so little?" Harry asked the air sadly.

"And that is one of the reasons I can't figure out why Malfoy would settle with me. I've been such a fool. I was so terrified to loose my first two friends that I never noticed that they weren't much of friends to begin with, at least not to me. I clung to them so tightly I never noticed that I didn't have any other friends besides them. I worked so hard on pleasing them; I never noted that they never did anything to help me. For all her naggings and superior knowledge, Hermione has never told me anything that wasn't related to school or our adventures. She never talked to me about the wizarding world in general, or sharing what she found out about customs and traditions and such. And Ron has done nothing to explain things, assuming I suppose, that just because we were magical, we should know this stuff automatically or something. Or was it because I'm the Boy Who Lived and thus don't need to be told? Conveniently forgetting that I was raised by stupid muggles who couldn't have told me about wizarding stuff, not that they would have even if they had known; or was it that it made Ron feel superior knowing stuff and I didn't?

"I don't know anymore, Hedwig. I just don't know what to think, what to believe. Has everything up until now been nothing but a lie? Were Ron and Hermione ever my friends? My true friends? How much did Dumbledore know about what was going on? Did he orchestrate things, turning a blind eye and allowing me to do his dirty work for him, testing me to see if I had the strength to kill off Voldemort? Doesn't it seem a bit suspicious that he brought the Philosophers Stone to a school filled with children, knowing full well who was after it? Then telling me just enough to make sure I knew what was going on, and when the excitement was over, have the Stone destroyed? Why not destroy it in the first place?" Harry cried, coming back to an old debate he'd been having over and over again this summer. Taking a few deep breaths, he did his best to allow the anger he was feeling to slowly flow out of him.

"But that is not the topic for tonight's debate," he smiled weakly at Hedwig, allowing the bird to gently nibble on his fingers, the look in her eyes one of support. How had he gotten so lucky to get such a great friend?

"Considering what happened this summer, I have to come to the conclusion that Ron and Hermione never were true friends to me. It hurts like hell, and I don't like the implications of such thoughts, but I have hidden my head in the sand for too long. It is past time I saw the world for what it is, not for how I want it to be… and that leads me right back to Draco Malfoy. Is the person I have seen for the past four days the true Draco Malfoy? Has he too been hiding behind a mask for the past five years? It seems impossible, but look at me. I've been hiding who I am - what I am, for fear that others would shun me otherwise, and we both know how well _that_ went. They all ended up shunning me anyway, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. And I suppose there is till nothing I can do about it. Apparently I'm in people's good grace this week, I wonder how long it will last? I bet you that it won't last for long, before they turn their backs on me once more."

"And that is what I fear will happen with Draco, isn't it? He is kind and gentle and smart and funny now, when he is desperately trying to from a bond with me. But will it last once I have committed myself to him? Will the 'true' Draco emerge then, the one I have seen for the past five years? Will he once more be cruel and cutting, doing everything in his power to put me down and make me feel stupid? I don't want that Draco back; I like this new one too much. But it has never been about what I want, has it girl? It is always about what everyone else wants, not caring if it is at my expense or not. I guess only time will tell, but it hurts Hedwig, because, Merlin help me, I think I'm falling in love."

Bringing his familiar closer, Harry laid his temple against Hedwig's warm little body, soaking up what warmth and affection he could. There, he had said it, admitted it to himself. He was falling in love with Draco Malfoy and it was scaring the hell out of him. How was it even possible? They'd known each other for four days, how could you go from enemies to being in love in just four short days? Were these even his own feelings or was he under some kind of Veela spell? Unable to sort out anymore of his jumbled feelings, Harry just sat on the windowsill with Hedwig and just enjoyed her company, watching the sun rise, colouring the sky with blazing colours, allowing it to fill him with a moment of peace.

Eventually though, he stirred. The day was approaching and he needed to get back to the suite before he was missed. Petting Hedwig a last time, Harry tied the letter and the pouch to her legs and watched as she launched herself into the sky, her strong wings taking her further and further away. Sending a quick prayer for her safe return, Harry turned away from the window and began his trek back across the castle.

HPDM

Draco woke suddenly and with a start. Blearily he looked around and blinked in confusion when he saw his father next to him. Then it all came back – the nightmare. Harry's screams. Harry! Looking around wildly he couldn't see his mate and when he closed his eyes he couldn't sense him either. Harry had left. What if it was for good?

"Dragon? Is something wrong?" Lucius asked blinking sleep from his eyes.

"Harry. He isn't here," Draco said with a tremor.

"Calm down, son. I'm sure he hasn't left for good," Lucius said wrapping an arm around his distraught son's shoulders. Clasping his necklace he sent the magic out and it didn't take him long to locate the missing teen.

"He is in the Owlery, probably talking to his owl."

Draco glanced over at the table and noted for the first time that the letter and present were gone. "I think he was writing a letter to Lupin last night. The letter is gone."

Lucius nodded. "That's probably what trigged the nightmare."

"That ward is coming down. Now!" Draco said in a hard voice. No way was he going to agree to be kept from his mate ever again.

"I agree. Why don't you go and get dressed and order breakfast? I will take the ward down and if Harry hasn't returned by the time we are finished, we'll go look for him, agreed?"

"Yes father."

"And Draco, I trust you will be able to control yourself if I do this. If the instinct becomes too great I trust you will come to me or Severus. Or send Harry to either of us until things have calmed down again," Lucius said sternly, letting his son know how serious this was.

"I promise father," Draco nodded before he climbed off the bed to prepare for a new day.

HPDM

Draco was just about to go and find his mate when Harry returned. He was looking a little bit better, but unable to meet either Malfoy's eyes. Lucius gave him an apprehensive look, walked up to him, and enveloped him into a hug.

Harry jumped and attempted to wriggle free, but Lucius held him firmly, yet gently. "Hush, child. Everyone needs a hug now and then. And right now you look like you could use a hug," he murmured softly.

Harry stilled, but he didn't relax, expecting to be let free soon. Lucius had other ideas and continued to hold the brunet, running a hand soothingly up and down the stiff back.

Almost against his will, Harry felt himself relax, until he was resting against the taller man, his head on his shoulder. It was almost... peaceful to be held like this. No one ever had. Not that Harry could remember anyway. It was different from when his friends hugged him, not that they did very often. Then it was a quick squeeze to make sure he was alright, or in an attempt to give support.

This though, this was a hug filled with infinite patience, and love, and support - an adult's support. One who knew how it feels to be caught up in life's yarn and thus knew how to give strength when one was floundering. You needed experience to be able to give this kind of support, Harry realised. Something neither he nor his friends had yet. Hesitantly he let his arms circle a trim waist and relaxed even further, soaking up what was freely offered.

Draco watched them from the doorway to his room. He should be jealous he knew, that someone else was able to soothe and comfort his mate. But this was his father; a man who knew how to give great hugs. How many times had Draco himself sought out the man to have him soothe his troubles away? How could he begrudge Harry that experience? Silently he stepped back into his bedroom and settled on the bed with a book. He would wait until they were finished. You did not rush moments like this.

HPDM

Harry had no idea how long he'd been standing there, but eventually his stomach grumbled, loudly. Blushing hotly he reluctantly stepped back, not daring to look Malfoy in the face.

"Feeling better?"

"Yes. Thank you."

Lucius sighed softly and put two fingers under Harry's chin, urging the boy to look at him. "You have done nothing you need to feel ashamed about, child. We all need a hug now and then. We all experience nightmares we need help to deal with. You are only human Harry, no matter what rot the wizarding world has tried to cram down your throat. I know you are not used to having people around who are prepared to help and support you. But you have us now. Me, Draco, even Severus. Let us help you child. Let us be there for you."

Harry felt tears fill his eyes and he angrily swiped them away. "I can't afford to show any weakness, you know that!" he almost spat the words out.

"Accepting comfort when it is freely given is not a weakness Harry." Lucius scolded gently. Merlin! Talk about deja vu. Severus had said almost the exact thing when they were getting together all those years ago.

"Tell them that!" Harry stated angrily trying to pull away.

Lucius refused to let him. "I don't care about 'them'. 'They' are nothing, but mindless sheep that bleat and gossip about what ever the Daily Prophet has printed that day. 'They' do not count Harry. Only family does, and you are family now."

"'They' might not count when you are a Malfoy Lucius, but if you are the blasted Boy-Who-Lived, then unfortunately, 'they' have a very heavy pull on your life; 'they' have the power to make my life miserable and if I show any weakness it will be shouted from the roof tops before you can blink your eye," Harry said tiredly, his anger gone.

Lucius considered this while he steered the tired boy towards the table and the breakfast waiting for them. Making sure that Harry was seated, he settled next to him, absentmindedly calling his son to the table as well.

"I can see your point Harry. I understand that you can not show any weakness when in public. However, these are your private rooms. What happens in here will not be spread to 'them'."

"Unfortunately Skeeter is an illegal animagus, and who knows how many more there are out there. I'm not safe anywhere," Harry said despondently.

"Then we will make sure you are as safe as possible, and if anything should be leaked to the press, we will weather the storm. Together!" Lucius stated, buttering a scone with precise movements.

Harry gave him a disbelieving look, but left the argument for now and concentrated on his own breakfast.

* * *

**Next Time:**  
Harry has a confrontation with Ron and Hermione,  
Stay tuned... 


	19. Confrontations

**Summary:  
**Draco finds his mate and a tentative relationship is beginning to build  
Lucius and Poppy has a serious discussion  
Harry has a nightmare

**A/N:** Sometimes you are plain lucky! I placed Draco's birthday in May since that fit with my story, I just went to check with the Harry Potter lexicon and found out that Draco's birthday is June 5, so I have changed the date in this chapter and will use that from now on.

**Dedication:** I wish to dedicate this chapter to my two swiftest fans. I don't know how you do it, but within minutes after I have uploaded a new chapter, I already have two hits on the stat-page. Whoever you are, you do wonders for my ego, lol.

I also wish to thank all you wonderful people who review my story, thank you for your all your kind words!

This will in time be a slash-story. Don't like it? Don't read it.

Thank you Keikokin for checking my grammar.

* * *

**Confrontations**

"Harry! There you are! What happened to you yesterday? You never showed up in Potions. Professor Snape was not pleased! Oh, yes, here's your homework and here's my notes," Hermione said pushing a stack of parchments into Harry's hands before he could get a word in edgewise.

Rolling his eyes at Draco, he accepted the stack and put them into his bag. "Good morning 'Mione, Ron," Harry said with forced cheer. He knew it was interrogation time and not for the first time he resented the way his friends were acting towards him. What had happened to his friends? And when had they become his bloody keepers? _I wonder how much of what I say is reported back to Dumbledore verbatim,_ he added in his thoughts, startled at how bitter he sounded. Remembering this morning's musings Harry came to the startling realisation that he had already written off the two standing before him, and was no longer considering them as his friends. They were just two people he knew, their opinions no longer mattered to him. He just hadn't wanted to admit it to himself, hadn't been prepared to let go of five years of friendship, even if it had been one-sided.

"Hiya mate." Ron said clapping Harry on the shoulder. "So what _did_ happen to you yesterday?"

"I overdid things in class and ended up spending the afternoon in the hospital wing," Draco drawled coming to his mate's rescue.

Ron gave him a pitying look causing both boys to bristle in resentment. "Too bad Malfoy, but why didn't Harry show up for class?"

"Because I am a Veela and he is my mate?" Draco asked lifting an eyebrow, looking at the redhead as if he was an imbecile.

"Do you mean to tell me that Harry is joined at your hip? That he can't do _anything_ if you aren't around? That's just sick!" Ron nearly shouted gaining the attention of those nearby.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Really Ron, couldn't you have shouted just a tad bit louder?" he asked. "I was with Draco while Pomfrey examined him. We were talking and then we both fell asleep. And no, we aren't joined by the hip. I suggest you actually _learn_ a bit about Veelas before sprouting off nonsense."

"But Harry, Ron has a point," Hermione cut in giving him a reproving look. "Until you bond Draco won't want you out of his sight, and even after you bond he will keep tabs on your every move. That isn't healthy and you should be allowed your own life and not be forced to live whatever life Malfoy deems worthy."

"Please! What trashy novels have you been reading lately?" Harry scoffed. "For your information I went to the Owlery this morning. Alone," he added meaningly. "And Draco here did not throw a fit. He didn't even interrogate me or demand to know where I'd been. Unlike some people I won't name. Now, we better hurry or we'll be late for class," Harry said with a snort and ignoring his friend's gaping mouths he stalked down the corridor, Draco at his side.

"Nice!" the blond drawled. "However, you do know that the only reason I didn't 'throw a fit' was because Father could tell me where you were? That and I noticed the letter you'd written last night was gone."

Harry glanced at Draco, amusement evident on his face. "But they don't know that, do they? And there is no reason to tell them either, is there? 'Forced to live whatever life Malfoy deems worthy', please! It makes me sound like your lapdog or something! As if I'd allow you to control my life like that!" Harry snorted rolling his eyes in exasperation, yet there was a small nagging doubt at the back of his mind. How much free will would he have once the two had bonded? Maybe it was time to take his own advice. With everything that had been going on he hadn't had time to do any reading about Veelas. He didn't know more today than he had at the end of term, having only the scant information they'd gotten during those two lectures the Hogwarts staff had provided when Draco had come into his inheritance last June.

"That is how some view a Veela marriage," Draco said in a low voice, wanting his mate to know how many looked upon a Veela union, but reluctant to point it out in case Harry decided to not bond with him.

"Really? And the Headmaster assured me that to have a Veela's love was the purest love you could experience."

"That is true you know."

"So as usual, people pick and choose what to believe and ignore the truth?" Harry asked, not really interested in the topic anymore.

"I guess," Draco acknowledged after some thought.

"Then I suggest we live our lives in whatever manner we wish and ignore the fools and the idiots the best we can," Harry said. Glancing over his shoulder he added, "Speaking of which, try and keep your temper ok? They used to be my friends and maybe they will be again some day – although the way they have been behaving lately I don't see us become close again any time soon, if ever. They are no threat to you; they will not come between us. I want, no, I need friends, not people who tries to control my life 'for my own good'."

Draco nodded, a bit worried about the desolated look in Harry's eyes, but he wasn't given a chance to comment as Hermione suddenly was in their faces.

"Harry! That was just plain rude! Ron and I don't interrogate you! How dare you suggest such a thing!"

Harry sighed, but stopped and turned his attention to the angry witch. "Did I say I was talking about you and Ron? No, I did not. However, you can't argue that last year you both kept nagging me to tell you what was going on; if I was having a nightmare, if I was feeling fine. Merlin forbid if I slipped away for a bit of privacy to think, or to study 'cause when I came back I'd be faced with a third degree, with you two demanding to know exactly where I'd been and what I'd done. You are not my parents, 'Mione, or my keepers. Merlin help me, I thought you were my friends. Friends don't act like that."

"We were worried! Can you blame us? You never talk to us about how you feel Harry. You need to talk about what is going on in that thick skull of yours," Hermione softened her tone and continued. "It isn't good to always bottle up your feelings Harry. Let them out now and then and you'll feel much better afterwards."

"Yeah? How can I, Hermione? How can I confide in you when I know you will run to the Headmaster as soon as I tell you something?"

Hermione blushed, but refused to back down. "He asked us to keep him informed Harry. He needs to know what is happening with you, so that he can help you."

"I see. The Headmaster is so worried about me that he ignores me completely for the entire school year. Hell, the man wouldn't even _look_ at me, making me wonder what the hell I had done wrong to offend him that much. Do you know what I thought, Hermione? Do you? I thought Dumbledore blamed me for bringing Riddle back! If he was so worried about me, then why the hell didn't he talk to me himself? Or the very least written me a note explaining what was going on! Instead I find out that he used my _friends_ to spy on me, and then you have the _gall_ to ask me why I don't confide in you! If you were so worried about me, then why didn't you tell him about Umbridge? Why didn't you add that little titbit into your report, or was the fact that one of our teachers were torturing her students during her detentions not worth mentioning huh?" Harry asked dangerously, his temper flaring, his eyes flashing with emotions, and he stepped closer to he witch, forcing her to step back, making her thump into Ron with a soft squeak.

He only calmed down when Draco placed a hand on his back, moving it in soothing circles. Looking away in disgust, Harry took a few deep calming breaths, working hard on getting his emotions back under control. _Dumbledore would never forgive me if I accidentally levelled Hogwarts_, Harry thought with sudden dark humour.

Hermione no longer could meet his gaze, "Because you didn't want anyone to know."

"So _then_ you kept your word, but not when I confided in you about personal things? Some friend you turned out to be," Harry spat, feeling his anger rising once more. He needed to get away before he did something he would later regret, like hexing those two back to the Dark Ages! "I don't know what orders Dumbledore has given you, but I'd appreciate it if you two kept away from me until you have proven whose friend you are – mine or his. You can't be both."

"Harry! He is trying to look out for you!" Hermione cried. "I don't know what happened between the two of you last year, but he apologised to you, he told us that he explained to you why he was ignoring you. He had a valid reason for behaving like he did, you have to admit that Harry. He was worried about the safety of this school, he was worried what knowledge You-Know-Who could gleam from him, using you as a conduct. You have to agree that you didn't exactly put any efforts into learning Occlumency," Hermione practically hissed, going on the offensive, not liking the way Harry forced her to defend her actions.

This was not her Harry, this was not the boy she had been friends with for the past five years. She had promised the Headmaster that she would support Harry now that he was as good as bonded to Malfoy. But this she would not stand for!

For the past four days, Hermione had spent most of her time reading everything she could get her hands on concerning Veelas, wanting to be prepared for when Harry came to her for advice, and listening to Ron bemoaning how Harry now was lost to them. She knew some of the adults in the Order were concerned about Harry, but she had paid them no mind, knowing that her Harry was nothing like that. But seeing him like this, she had to admit to herself that Harry had changed, and not for the better.

Was he already putting Malfoy above his friends? How was that possible after only four days? Did Veelas have some sort of compulsion they put on their mates after all? None of the books had mentioned anything like that, but then, magical creatures tended to be secretive, not revealing everything about themselves to others. Who knew what secrets they had kept from the wizarding world?

But Harry's change had began earlier, hadn't it? She could still remember how worried Dumbledore had been that Harry was avoiding him. He had explained a little of what had been going on the previous school year, and Hermione couldn't understand why Harry hadn't forgiven the Headmaster. It wasn't like him to hold a grudge, not like this.

Dumbledore had had a very good reason for his behaviour, why didn't Harry acknowledge that? He needed the Headmaster and the help he could offer, so why was Harry cutting himself off from that help? She just didn't understand any of this, and she had been determined to get the answers she needed once they were back at Hogwarts and not under the close scrutiny of the adults.

Only Harry wasn't cooperating. He was supposed to have come to her for advice, as he always did. He hadn't. She hadn't seen hide or hair of him for the past three days, and when he finally emerged from wherever the Malfoys have had him tucked away, he chose to sit with the Slytherins!

Hermione didn't know what was going on, but she was determined to find out and undo what ever had happened to Harry, so she could have her friend back. She loved Ron, but even she was forced to admit that the redhead wasn't the smartest apple in the cart. She needed Harry to ensure her place in the wizarding world, and no one, not even Malfoy, was going to stop her from getting what she wanted!

"Really? He has a very strange way of showing that! You never stopped to think that maybe there was a reason he and I don't see eye-to-eye anymore? How come you never asked _me_ why I was pulling away? For someone who's supposed to be so smart, you can be really stupid sometimes. Come on, Draco, we're gonna be late and I for one don't want to face Madam Pomfrey's wrath this early in the morning," Harry stated hotly, bringing the witch out of her musings.

Harry began to walk again, but was stopped by Ron who had moved to block the way. "I don't know what that git has done to you Harry, but that is not my friend talking. You never should have agreed to move in with him. He is a slimy snake Harry, a Malfoy. Have you forgotten how he's treated us for the past 5 years? His Father almost got Ginny killed for Merlin's sake! How can you just forget that?" he shouted, getting more and more angry as he spoke. "Not to mention that he was there the night Sirius died. I'm sure you haven't forgotten that!"

Harry took a step back and watched Ron with impassive eyes. "No, I haven't forgotten. Nor have I forgotten that we are living in a war. Things happen in a war Ron. People take orders, whether they want to or not. People are killed because one leader wishes to make a point to the other leader, or to his followers. Don't you think it is time you grew up Ron? The world isn't black and white. It is an infinite amount of shades of grey. All Slytherins are not bad. All Gryffindors aren't good. Remember Wormtail? Remember Fudge? Neither are Slytherins. You can't blame all the things that are wrong in your life on them. Grow up and see the world for what it is!" Harry snapped.

"I sure as hell can when the things wrong in my life _are_ their fault!" Ron spat, turning an unhealthy shade of red. "You might be able to forget the wrongs the Slytherins have done. You might be able to forget what the _Malfoys_ have done, but I can't. Do you know why? Because it was me and my family that suffered because of their high and mighty ways; it is because of _them_ my little sister almost died. I will never forgive them for that!"

Harry looked at Ron, really looked at him for perhaps the first time ever. And he did not like what he saw. Ron had been his first real friend and looking back he supposed he'd been prepared to forgive a lot just to keep that friend. But the limit of what he was prepared to forgive and forget had been reached and he would no longer allow Ron to dictate his actions.

"Yes, Lucius planted that diary on Ginny. He did have a part of what happened to her. But Ron, you and your family were not blameless. You too played a part in what happened that year."

"What? Are you saying Ginny is to blame for opening the Chamber of Secret?" Ron asked, not believing his ears. "How can you say that! You really _have_ joined Voldemort, haven't you?"

"It's so easy, isn't it? To blame all the things that are wrong in your life on others," Harry mused, looking into space. "Ginny was nearly killed by Riddle's diary, so it must have been Lucius' and the Slytherin's fault."

His focus returned to Ron. "Let us ignore the fact that your father had taught his children never to trust something whose brain you could not see. And let us ignore the fact that Ginny had four older brothers going to the same school as her, belonging to the same _House_ as her and none of them noticed that something was wrong. Not _one_ of them. And let us not forget that she never turned to anyone to get help once she realised things were wrong. No that would be taking responsibility for your family and your own actions, so just let us blame the Malfoys, hmm Ron?" Harry all but purred, glaring hotly at his former friend. Next to him Draco was fairly humming with anxiety, but the brunet couldn't afford to take his attention off Ron, all too aware of his hot temper and his tendency to do stupid things when riled.

Ron blushed, turning even redder, but for once he had no ready comeback.

"That's not exactly fair, is it Harry?" Hermione asked, albeit a bit timidly, she too was well aware of Ron's hot temper and she couldn't believe the way Harry was accusing his friend of not looking out for Gin, if anyone was protective of his sister it was Ron Weasley.

"Fair? No I guess not. It is the truth though," Harry replied, looking steadily into her eyes, mocking her to deny it.

Reluctantly Hermione broke the eye contact. She was not about to get in the middle of this explosive topic. "Perhaps," she murmured, refusing to take a side, "But that is not what we were talking about. What we were talking about was the fact that the Malfoy's don't let you out of their sight. You spend all your free time with Draco and none with us. We are your friends Harry, and we've missed you. Can't you understand that?"

"Hmmm, I guess. But then, you didn't exactly miss me this summer, did you? You hardly ever wrote me any letters, and the ones you _did_ write were filled with complaints. Ron was constantly moaning about how unfair it was he couldn't leave the house, not even to go out flying with the others. You kept harping at me how Ron was either ignoring you or teasing you about your studying. That is when you weren't complaining about being stuck indoors all the time. Guess what Hermione? That has been the entirety of my summers for the last few years. Did I complain? No. Did I bore you endlessly about it? No. Welcome to my world Hermione. Perhaps now you understand how I felt when you went traipsing around the world while I was stuck with the Dursleys. It isn't fun, is it, to have your movements restricted 'for your own good'" Harry sneered.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped, dismayed at how painful his words were. Was that how he had felt all those summers? Why hadn't he said something? "Why didn't you say something? We might have been able to help you..."

"Help me how? You were perfectly happy letting Dumbledore rule my life last year. What changed? Did you find out that it wasn't as much fun when he began ruling your life? Don't come crying to me, because I will show you just as much compassion that you showed me. I'm sure you can remember how much that was."

"Now look here Harry! We did what we thought was best," Ron said angrily.

"No you didn't. You did what the Headmaster told you to do. And I bet you he told you to 'support' me, now that I'm 'stuck' with Draco. I'm right aren't I?" Harry crowed when he noted the guilty looks on his former friend's faces. "Then why the bloody hell are you fighting with me?" he nearly shouted, getting angry again. "Why are you constantly in my face, trying to make things as difficult as possible for me and Draco?"

"Because that Ferret doesn't deserve you! Because that slimy Slytherin will end up stabbing us all in the back! Because it is you Harry, who are our friend, not _him_!" Ron shouted getting into Harry's face. "Merlin Harry, can't you see? He is running your life! The next thing you'll tell us is that you won't play Quiddich this year, just so he can stay on the Slytherin team!"

Harry took a step back and wiped his chin with a look of disgust on his face. Looking Ron up and down, he smirked. "Funny you should say that Ron. As a matter of fact, I won't be playing for the Gryffindor team this year."

"I knew it! Why the hell not! We need you Harry! You are the best Seeker in the school!"

"Maybe. But since Dumbledore was kind enough to volunteer my services, I'll be far too busy running the D.A. to have time playing Quidditch. If he hadn't done that, maybe..." Harry shrugged, trailing off suggestively.

"But Harry, you had no problems doing both last year," Hermione cut in when it looked like Ron was going to explode.

"Really? For one thing, the D.A. of last year was much smaller. And two, I was banned after the first match, remember?"

"Oh..." Hermione mumbled, suddenly realising he was right.

Harry smirked at her. Then he cursed when the bell rang. "Damn, we are late! You couldn't have waited until after class, could you?" he demanded breaking into a run.

"How nice of you to finally join us," Poppy snapped as they entered the infirmary, not pleased at all by their tardiness. "5 points each from Gryffindor and Slytherin. Now find a seat and sit down!"

"Yes Madam Pomfrey," Harry and Draco murmured and settled at the front of the room. Ron and Hermione glowered at them and settled at the back, out of the teacher's eye.

"As I was saying before I was interrupted, in this class you will learn the basics of healing. Not many have a true talent for healing, but everyone can learn the basic spells and potions to deal with cuts, bruises, and headaches."

Harry ducked his head and bit back a snort, remembering Lockhart. The git couldn't get a spell correct if his life depended on it!

"Today we will be going through the human body and talk about the bones that make up the skeleton," Poppy continued her lecture, giving Harry a quelling look.

Sitting up in his seat, he did his best to pay attention. This was important after all, if only he wasn't so tired.

HPDM

"That was really interesting," Draco mused as they made their way back to their rooms after their double class with Poppy. "She really knows how to teach her stuff. I hadn't realised there were so many bones in your body; and she actually made it interesting. I thought she'd teach the same way as she heals. You know, all stern and not a funny bone in her body, but she was alright."

Harry nodded in agreement.

"What was so funny at the beginning of the class? I thought you were going to laugh in her face."

"I remembered Lockhart."

"What of him?"

"Don't you remember? I broke my arm in that Quiddich game and the stupid git removed all the bones in my arm instead of healing them. A picture of him flashed into my mind when she said, "But all can learn the basic spells and potions to deal with cuts, bruises, and headaches." Imagine what he'd do with a headache if that is how he treats broken bones?" Harry glanced at the Veela and they both broke down in giggles.

"Wanna go flying? We have a free period before lunch." Draco asked later, after their hilarity had died down.

"Nah, I think I'm going to take a nap. We have both Herbology and Ancient Runes after lunch and I want to be awake for both of them."

Draco nodded, giving his mate a concerned glance. The other boy _did_ look tired, just how early had he awakened anyway? "Alright, you get some sleep and I'll read some more from that journal you found," he decided.

"Just make sure you wake me up in time for class. I don't want to miss anymore of them. It isn't worth the headache trying to catch up," Harry warned, pausing in the doorway to his room.

"I promise." Draco nodded.

"Thanks".

HPDM

Later that night, after he had made sure that Draco was fast asleep, Harry pulled off the shirt he was wearing and ran his fingers up his left bicep. Feeling the armband wrapped around his arm, Harry took it off and placed it on the floor, watching with fascination as it became visible and retook its original size and shape. He never got tired of watching the transformation, and he basked in the surge of pride this event always gave him. He had created this trunk; he was the one who had figured out how to hide it from nosy friends and headmasters.

Chuckling softly at his thoughts, Harry threw the lid of the trunk open and climbed inside. Sighing in delight he stepped into the cosy living room, looking around with a sense of pride. Professor Sprout's class wasn't his first introduction to working with woods, he had spent several happy hours this summer creating trunks and wooden boxes, decorating them using carvings or inlaid wood. By the time the summer holiday had come to an end he had been quite skilled at it, making him look forward to the Forgotten Arts class even more. So far the Professor had not disappointed him.

His skills with wood was particularly evident inside this trunk, where wooden furniture were tastefully placed on display, each peace polished until they gleamed, and carvings and inlays of flowers, vines and animals decorated every available surface. Yet it was not a sterile room, on the contrary, it was giving off an inviting aura. This was a home, not a show display.

Turning his attention away from the cosy living room, Harry turned to the right and headed for the library. That room too showed off his skills with wood and the bookshelves were carved with images that fitted the contents of the different subjects. In the centre of the room a tall pedestal was standing and Harry made his way over to it. Tapping the thick ledger resting on top of it, he stated with a clear voice, "Veelas and their mates', then he stood back, waiting.

For a second nothing happened, then the book glowed and the next moment a thick stack of books had appeared next to the ledger. Giving the stack a glowering look, Harry nevertheless levitated every last one to a nearby work desk and made himself comfortable. Taking note of the time, he swiftly looked through the books, sorting them by language. Picking one up that was written in Latin, Harry opened the book and began to read. Soon all that could be heard was the gentle scratching of a quill and the turning of pages.

HPDM

Harry had no idea how long he'd been reading, but his stomach was making grumbling sounds that it had been far too empty for far too long. Putting the quill down, Harry sighed and stretched aching muscles. No matter how comfortable he made the chair, he still ended up stiff and sore after a few hours of studying. Perhaps Severus could give him a hint or two? Considering how many hours that man spent correcting essays, he had to have some tips on how to avoid this state. Getting to his feet Harry paused, maybe that was why Severus was so grumpy all the time. Snickering softly to himself, the youth made his way to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat.

Having satisfied his stomach Harry debated what to do next, continue his reading or head off to bed? Considering the amount of information he had already gathered Harry figured he had done enough for one night. He realized some rest would benefit him more than continuing to read with a tired mind.

Walking back to the library Harry paused by a box and opened it, pulling out the time-turner resting inside. Smiling slightly the youth caressed the hour-glass. It wasn't only books he had found at the Black Manor, he had found a few other extremely useful items, and the time-turner was only one of those things he had shamelessly 'borrowed'.

Giving the device several turns Harry felt the familiar tug and then he landed in the library, having timed things so he arrived just as he was entering the trunk. Putting the device back in the box, he nodded to himself as he entered the room and quietly walked out, climbed outside and went to bed, casting his invisibility cloak over the trunk to ensure that no one saw it before he had a chance to put it away. He had never worked up the nerve to see what would happen if he changed the trunk back to an armband while he was inside it. What if he accidentally killed himself off? That would be a bit awkward to explain, wouldn't it?

Snuggling deeper into his pillow, Harry sighed contentedly and went to sleep. His reading marathon had done a lot to ease his mind. The texts he'd gone through so far had all stated that a Veela would always stand by their mate, no matter what, and would love and cherish them to the day they died. Harry still thought Draco had made a poor choice, but the risk of the blond to revert to his former behaviour seemed less likely. At least he wouldn't behave in that manner towards Harry, and frankly that was all the brunet cared about.

His last thought before sleep claimed him was that he had to remember to share the library with Draco.

* * *

**Next time:**  
The boys enjoy their Sunday morning  
Stay tuned… 


	20. You Friends Are My Friends

**Summary:   
**Draco finds his mate and a tentative relationship is beginning to build  
Harry has a nightmare  
Harry has an confrontation with his friends

**A/N:  
**I wish to thank all you wonderful people who review my story, thank you for your all your kind words! However, one of the reviews sent by Nigelous I felt needed a response. You can find it at www . livejournal . com / users / janarae / 727 . html (remove the spaces.)

This will in time be a slash-story. Don't like it? Don't read it.

Thank you Keikokin for checking my grammar

**You Friends Are My Friends**

**Day Six - Saturday**

Draco reluctantly swam out of a deep sleep when his bed began to bounce in a most annoying manner. He'd had the most wonderful dream too. He and Harry had been sunbathing on a beach. Out of consideration, he had been rubbing some oil onto his mate's back and things were just beginning to get interesting when his bed began to behave most rudely. "What!" he growled in annoyance.

"Come on Draco. It's a lovely morning and I want to go riding. Do you think Blaise will want to come with us? I think he is lonely now that you aren't there anymore. Is it ok if I ask him?"

Draco blinked and tried to understand the words fired at him rapidly. A rough shake of his shoulder helped to kick his brain into gear and he sat up.

"Good. Are you awake now? I'm gonna go riding. Do you want to come with me? Is it alright if I ask Blaise to come with us?" Harry asked again, looking at the blond with some concern.

"Why do you want Blaise to come?" Draco almost snarled the last question the only one that had really registered in his mind.

"Merlin, are you always this slow in the mornings?" Harry huffed, rolling his eyes at the ceiling. "I'm not interested in Blaise Zabini, so stow that jealousy act. I know he is your friend and I bet you he is lonely now that you no longer live in the dungeons. There's no one for him to talk to, right? So, I thought maybe the two of you would like it if he came along. If you don't want him to, say so. It is no skin off my nose," Harry said folding his arms across his chest.

"Oh," Draco said intelligently, looking a bit sheepish. "Yeah, he might wanna come. We will probably have to make his horse for him. He isn't exactly good at Transfiguration," he snickered at a memory. "What about your friends? Think anyone wants to come?"

"I don't think Neville will be interested. Ginny might, but I don't want to cause trouble between her and Ron. Luna might but somehow I can't see her interested in common horses, can you?"

Draco shook his head. He didn't know the loony Ravenclaw but he'd heard stories about her. "Very well, let me get dressed and we'll head down to the dungeons. And Harry? Thanks."

"No problem. It's like I said to Hermione. We aren't joined at the hip and we are allowed to have friends. _Both_ of us," he added meaningly before leaving the room.

Draco sighed in relief, throwing the covers back. Gingerly he climbed out of bed and scurried into the bathroom. He had a little problem that needed to be dealt with – in private.

As they made their way to the dungeons Draco couldn't help but mull over what Harry had said earlier, that they were both allowed having friends. When he found out who his mate was, he had figured he'd be doomed to a life surrounded by Gryffindorks. Never in a million years believing that Harry would tolerate any of his friends even if he managed to win the brunet's affection and love.

Once more, the youth had surprised him with his mature attitude. It bothered him though that there was a rift between Harry and Ron and Hermione. They had always seemed inseparable. Well, aside that time in fourth year, or that time in third... Hmm, maybe they had been drifting apart for some time now, only no one had realised it?

A slight shove brought him out of his musings and he found himself staring at the closed entrance to the Slytherin dorms. He had no memory of how they'd gotten here and he gave Harry a suspicious look, just how did a Gryffindor know the way to the Slytherin dorms? Harry just smiled at him, if Draco squinted his eyes he almost could make out the halo on top of the other boy's head. Snorting, not trusting the angelic look one bit, he uttered the password and walked inside, Harry close on his heels.

"What is _he_ doing here?" Pansy shrieked causing Draco to wince and Harry to rub at his ear.

"Merlin girl, you should record that sound and sell it to farmers. They'd never have any problems with vermin ever again," Harry said giving Pansy an almost admiring look. Only if you looked closely, like Draco was doing, could you detect the smirk that played along the corners of his mouth.

There was a shocked silence. Then sniggers sprung up among those present and soon they were roaring with laughter while Pansy was screaming insults at Harry at the top of her lungs.

"Some lung capacity that girl has," Harry stated to Draco, looking impressed. "Forget the farmers; she'd make a fortune as a fog horn. If every ship used her, there'd never be any accidents at sea again."

Draco had done his best to keep his amusement under control, but that turned out to be his undoing. The image of Pansy being tied to the front of a ship, using her voice to warn off other ships was too much and he began to whoop with laughter.

Pansy had finally remembered that she was a witch, and she pulled her wand and threw a nasty curse at Harry, who merely smiled and put up a shield that absorbed her spell.

"If that is the best you have to offer I'd say you should go for a career as a fog horn," he said infuriating the blond girl further.

Predictably, Pansy threw several more hexes, none that hit their goal. Screaming in rage, she threw a nasty cutting hex just as Severus Snape stormed into the common room. His eyes widened, but fortunately Harry's shield held and the hex was halted before it hit its mark.

"What in the name of Salazar is going on in here!" he snapped. "Pansy, you have two weeks detention with me for hexing a fellow Slytherin! Now get out of my sight!"

"He's no Slytherin!" Pansy cried in outrage.

"No? And why is that?" Severus fairly purred. "He is Draco's mate and as such he has been granted memberships in both Houses, as has Draco."

"That slut is _not_ Draco's mate! I am! Everyone knows that! Drakie is merely confused. I bet Potter used _Imperio_ or something on him to take him away from me!" Pansy stated, throwing her hair over her shoulder and giving Draco a smouldering look. Well, what she thought was smouldering.

Draco shuddered and was forced to look away or risk being violently ill. Then it registered what she had said and he became infuriated. "What did you call him?" he seethed.

"Parkinson, I would never take you as my mate! Not even if we were the last people on earth would I as much as _touch_ you. You are the one who is a slut! A tramp! You are nothing but an empty headed lowlife who is only suited to become the wife of a troll! You both have the same amount of I.Q. Merlin help any child unfortunate enough to have _you_ for a mother," Draco spat out. Taking a deep breath he was going to continue his rant, but an arm around his shoulders and a look from his Head of House froze his tongue.

"That is quite enough Draco," Severus said evenly although he was secretly amused by his godson's words. He'd have to share this with Lucius. "Pansy? Leave!"

Fury and humiliation caused the girl to flee the room in tears.

"I hope this is the last time I'll walk into such a deplorable scene," Severus said looking out over the now filled common room. "You are Slytherins and I expect you to behave as such, not as some sentimental Hufflepuffs. Is that clear?"

Nods and murmurs of affirmatives were heard from all over the room.

"Good." With that the Potions Master swept from the room.

"Hey Dray! What are you doing here?" Blaise asked bounding over to the blond's side. "And that was bloody brilliant Harry! I've been wanting to say that for years!"

"What stopped you?" Harry asked with a smirk.

Blaise looked surprised for a moment, opening his mouth, but closed it again unable to come up with an answer. Laughing he patted the brunet on the nearest arm. "This one is definitely a keeper Dray! So why did you come down here for anyway?"

"To ask you if you wanted to come with us into the fresh air," Harry said. "Figured you might be lonely in here," he added in a lower voice only the two boys next to him could hear.

Blaise tilted his head to the side and glanced at his friend, who gave a small nod of consent.

"Sure, why not? Just let me get my cloak."

Draco took Harry's hand and walked over to a chair, sinking into the plush cushions, pulling Harry into this lap. Harry stiffened in surprise, but then he gave the Veela a dirty look. He forced himself to relax, leaning against a handy shoulder, his arm draped around the blond boy's neck. He knew the importance of showing a united front, especially with this crowd. It didn't mean though that he wouldn't get even – at a later time.

"So, Draco, where did you find those outfits?" Theodore Nott asked sliding into a chair next to the one the Veela occupied, eyeing the two boys appreciatively. Harry was stunningly dressed all in black beside his forest green shirt. Draco was dressed in tan leather with a Slytherin green shirt, looking no less stunning than his mate did.

Draco smirked and played with the edge of Harry's vest, "At the Seven Sins."

"You were allowed to go there?" someone squeaked in disbelief, Draco couldn't make out whom.

"Sure," he drawled. "Harry wanted some leather and they are the best place to get it. Unfortunately for them, my mate wasn't exactly impressed with their stock, so he designed his outfit himself. Didn't you love?" he asked Harry giving him an impish grin.

"I had to," was Harry's laconic reply. "I might like the idea of leather, but I have no intentions of walking around looking like a common street-walker."

"But you have to admit those pants looked good on you," Draco leered causing several of his audience to drool at the thought.

"Please!" Harry scoffed. "I wouldn't mind seeing them on you though," he said with a wink, causing most of the females in the room to sigh. Picking up on it – having students throwing themselves at you tended to make you take notice when someone was drooling – Harry decided to elaborate, payback and all that. "Yeah, those trousers were moulded to the skin, showing off _everything_ you've got. And Draco here has a _lot_ to show off, haven't you love?"

"I'll get you for this!" Draco growled, pushing Harry off his lap. Harry merely laughed and picking himself up from the floor made his way to the door, Draco close on his heels. The Veela wanted _out_ of there before anyone got any ideas, the student's reactions of the past few days had made the blond itch to curse someone. So far his House had respected their bond, for the most part, and he didn't want anyone deciding it was worth the risk trying to poach on his territory. Harry Potter was his and he would anyone thinking differently rue their birth. Hmm, perhaps a little something in everyone's pumpkin juice would teach the adventurous ones a lesson as well as serve as a warning example? Draco was sure Severus would gladly give him a few hints if he asked.

"What did I miss?" Blaise asked having noted how the atmosphere in the common room had been filled with something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Harry here decided to be a prat!" Draco complained with a pout.

"Come on! You started it 'Dray'," Harry laughed, not in the mood to repent in the least.

"Git!" Draco murmured, but there were no real heat behind his words. They had experienced their first true encounter with the Slytherin House and Harry had handled himself admirably. _It will take Pansy days if not weeks to recover from her humiliation. It couldn't have happened to a nicer witch_, Draco thought with a smirk, still miffed at the revelation that the blond girl hated him.

"So what are we going to do? I hope you aren't going to say flying," Blaise warned. "I've never understood what you yahoos ever saw in mounting those sticks. Give me a nice steed any day."

"If you are nice we might actually do that." Draco snickered. "Who will get them and who will help Mr.-I-suck-at-Transfigurations?" he called to Harry who was several steps in front of them, too eager to get back on a horse to wait for his slower companions.

"I'll get them. After all, he is your friend. Wouldn't want you to think that I like his rock better than yours," Harry laughed over his shoulder and ran off to the stables.

"Is he alright Dray?" Blaise asked in concern.

"Ignore him; the prat actually thinks he is funny. Come on, we need to find you a rock," Draco said grabbing his friends arm and towed him towards the lake.

_A rock? I knew a Veela got a bit barmy before he's fully bonded with his mate, but I never read it affected the two of them. _

"Hurry up will you? We haven't got all day you know," Draco said impatiently.

"So, this rock... Anything in particular I should think about when picking one?" Blaise asked a little hesitant looking down at the pebbles littering the small beach at the edge of the lake.

Draco blinked and looked at Zabini as if he'd grown an extra head. "Anything in particular... Blaise are you alright?"

"Am I? Am I! I'm about to ask you the same mate! Why would Harry like my rock better than yours and what in Merlin's name do I need a rock for in the first place? I knew Veelas got a bit peculiar when they first connect with their mates, but this..."

Draco watched his friend rant with wide eyes and an open mouth. Then it all clicked and he burst out laughing, doubling over, and holding his soon aching midriff.

"What did you do to Draco?" a voice asked Blaise from behind.

Blaise turned sideway to answer and came face to face with a horse. Blinking he took a step back and saw Harry sitting on one of the most beautiful Arabians he had ever seen. Beside him was an equally beautiful roan. Rocks, Mr.-I-suck-at-Transfigurations, like his rock better than yours. Suddenly it all made sense and he found himself blushing.

"I always knew you lived in the gutter," Draco chuckled walking up and petting the roan.

"You need a rock, so I can transfigure it into a horse so you can go riding with us, that is if you want to," he said amid sniggers.

"Prat! Of course, I'd be glad to ride with you." Muttering under his breath Zabini went and looked for a suitable rock and he soon returned to Draco's side, holding out his prize.

Draco took it from him and walked over to the grassed area, doing what he and Harry had done that first time. Soon a pale grey horse was standing there with the faintest hint of pink among its hairs. Demanding Blaise's handkerchief Draco even created the tack and had the horse saddled for his friend. Together they mounted and soon they were walking around the lake.

"Whose brilliant idea was this and how come we haven't done this sooner?" Blaise asked enjoying being back on a horse again.

"It was Harry's and I don't know," Draco replied very pleased with his mate.

Harry merely gave them a disgruntled look and urged his horse into a gallop.

HPDM

They had been riding around for about half an hour when Ginny waved them over. Reining his horse in Harry looked down at her, grinning with happiness and looking windblown. He looked absolutely stunning the redhead realised with a small start.

"Hiya Harry, where did you get those horses?" she asked looking longingly at the boy of her dreams.

"We made them from rocks Gin," Harry replied with a grin, petting his mount on the neck.

"Wow, can you make me one too?" Ginny begged doing her best puppy dog look.

Harry shrugged. "I'm sure you can do one on your own, Ginny, it isn't that difficult. You covered that material at the end of last term. Ooops," he added as his horse, tired of standing still, suddenly reared up and took off.

Ginny and Draco watched with their hearts in their throats as Harry stayed on the spirited animal with ease and soon had him under control. He didn't stop though and with a shout Draco took off after him.

"Sorry I can't help you out Weasley, but I suck at transfiguration," Blaise said with an apologetic look before taking off after the other two.

Eyes hardening in determination Ginny went to the lake. She would show them, she would show them all. She was going to make the most beautiful horse anyone had ever seen and then they'd know that she wasn't some little girl to be ignored. Oh, yes, she would show them all right!

Feeling a sudden pain in her left hand Ginny looked down, startled to find that she had been squeezing the rock so hard it had cut into the palm of her hand. Brought back to earth she smartly turned on her heel and marched back towards the castle. She would need to check up on her notes before she attempted to create a horse, not about to risk making a fool of herself in front of everyone, she especially didn't want to bungle up in front of Harry.

HPDM

"So, Draco, where did the two of you find those outfits?" Blaise asked sometime later when the horses had calmed down and the three of them were content to walk alongside each other, enjoying the sunshine and the fresh air.

Draco shared a glance with his mate before the two of them burst into a fit of giggles.

"Did I miss something?" the Slytherin asked dryly, amused by their antics.

"Not much, just a small conversation we had with Nott," Draco replied once he had calmed down a little. "We got them at the Seven Sins after Henri threw a fit when Harry asked for leather," Draco explained, breaking into laughter as he remembered the look on the tailor's face.

Blaise cast a longer, more contemplative look at his companions. "First of all I am stunned, not to mentioned shocked that your father allowed you to visit that place, and secondly, I had no idea they carried such a tasteful stock. From what my brother had told me, I figured their ware tended to be more… trashy."

"Your brother is right," Draco nodded in agreement, "you should have seen the pants Sean put Harry in. Not exactly something you'd wear in polite company, so Harry here took matters into his own hands and designed this outfit. He did a pretty good job of it, wouldn't you say?"

"I do say. Not the style I'd favour perhaps, but I have to agree that it looks good on the two of you. But why leather?"

"Why not leather?" Harry asked, deciding it was time he entered the conversation, after all, it was about him wasn't it? He might as well contribute to it. "It is comfortable, it is naturally resistant to some minor spells, and it will protect you far better than most other materials when you are in rough terrains. Now you might not have to consider such things, but I tend to find myself in the weirdest and most bizarre situations just because I'm the Boy Who Lived. After a while you learn to think ahead," Harry said with a shrug.

Blaise found that there was nothing he could say to that, and wanting to get the worried look out of Draco's eyes, he decided to change the subject. "Who do you think it was that pranked the Great Hall last Tuesday? I haven't heard as much as a whisper of who the culprit is, either it is someone new or whoever did it has learned not to brag about it."

Draco and Harry once more shared a look before they broke down in giggles.

"Will you two stop doing that?" Blaise cried out in indignation. He wasn't used to being laughed at every time he opened his mouth. "Circe, what's wrong with you two?" he demanded when the fit looked to go on forever.

"Sorry Bly, but you are looking at the mastermind this very minute," Draco explained with pride.

"Bly!" Harry asked incredulously, wanting to change the direction of the conversation, trust Draco to spill the beans!

"Hey, if he can shorten my name, I can shorten his!" Draco defended himself with indignation.

"Mastermind?" Blaise asked, much more interested in finding out who had done what, then rehash the old argument about their names. He and Draco had been friends since they were toddlers, old friends like that should be allowed some leeway. "You mean you were the one who did that Draco? Why did you target your own House, why didn't you go after the Hufflepuffs and the Ravenclaws? But then again, no one is suspecting us; most think it was one of the seventh years Ravens who did it on a dare. No one has admitted anything though, so everyone is left guessing."

"I didn't do it, it was all Harry," Draco proclaimed with pride. "Don't worry Harry; Blaise isn't going to tell anyone, are you Bly?" Draco asked meaningly, boring his suddenly flinty gaze into Zabini, making the other boys flinch.

"Of course not!" Blaise replied indignantly, no snake tells on another snake, especially not if that snake happens to be a friend, or the mate of a friend."

Harry pulled his horse to a stop, turning to glare at the dark-haired youth. "See to it that you don't," he warned. "Draco might not do anything to you if you tell anyone I was behind that prank, but I most certainly will retaliate, and Zabini you don't want to find out what I am capable of!" With a last dark look, Harry kicked his horse into a gallop leaving the other two behind.

"I'm sorry Draco, I shouldn't have asked. I put my foot in it this time, didn't I?" Blaise said ruefully, not wanting to admit even to himself how shaken he had been by the other boy's threat.

"No, it is I who should apologise. I shouldn't have told you, it wasn't my secret to tell. I just… I was so proud of him I…"

"You couldn't help but brag a little?" Blaise filled in gently with a knowing smile. "Especially since you knew I would never betray your trust."

"Right," Draco nodded with an embarrassed smile. "I suppose I better go after him and apologise."

"You do that and I'll go back to school, I don't think I should be with you for this conversation. What do you do with the horses, turn them back into rocks?"

"No, Hagrid's been taking care of them for us, keeping them in the stable behind his hut. Why don't you take your horse over there and let it loose in the corral? I'm sure if you ask nicely he won't mind looking after your horse as well, especially considering that you like his class and are sharing the top spot with Granger."

Blaise nodded and turned his mount around. "I'll do that while you soothe some ruffled feathers."

HPDM

Draco found Harry standing by the lake, throwing pebbles into the water with a pensive look on his face. The Arabian was contentedly grazing; the reins looped loosely around one of the teen's arms.

Draco sat silently watching the scene for a moment, trying to gauge the mood his mate was in. He didn't fully understand what had set his mate off, but it was clear by the force he was throwing those pebbles, that the teen was not happy.

Sighing softly, Draco slid off his horse stepping up to where the other boy was standing, raising an eyebrow as he walked through a privacy screen. That he had not expected, why the need for the secrecy? There was no one, but the two of them and the horses within sight. Shaking his head Draco decided to focus on one problem at the time.

"I'm sorry Harry. I guess I shouldn't have told Blaise you were behind that prank, not without asking you first. It was just…" he began, only to be cut off by the dark look sent his way.

"Just what?" Harry bit out through gritted teeth, not looking happy at all.

_Yep, he is pissed alright, I still can't figure out why though,_ Draco mused to himself. Doing his best to ignore the ache in his heart he shouldered on. "I'm just so proud of you, alright? Have you any idea how difficult it is to make something like that? Since you weren't present in the Great Hall, you had to have used a potion. Potions that make the drinker confess something are among the hardest ones you can make. Why do you think _Veritaserum_ is so difficult to make? Do you know how many Potions Masters are able to make that stuff? Five! That's how many."

"Add to that, the fact that you are considered to be one of the worst brewers in this school. Yet you managed to not only find the recipe to whatever potion you brewed, you managed to do it flawlessly. You, Harry Potter, managed to make a complicated, potion. Is it any wonder I'm so proud of you I could burst? Hell, I'm betting you _Severus_ is so proud of you he could burst! So yes, I told Blaise because I knew it was safe to tell him, he won't tell a soul, especially if we ask him not to. Can you forgive me?"

"You're proud of me?" Harry asked a bit stunned. That was a reaction he hadn't expected.

"You bet I am!" Draco stated with emphasis.

"But why? It was just a potion. I don't understand…" Harry said bewildered. Would he ever understand the other boy?

Draco looked up towards the sky, seeking patience. He was going to find those relatives of Harry's, and he was going to make them _hurt_. "Harry, didn't you hear what I just said? That potion…" Draco paused with a frown. "What potion _did_ you do anyway?"

Harry snickered. "Black Truth," he replied once he could speak again. "Invented by one Horatio Black, he used it to spike the drinks at the Wizarding Gathering of 1022. I understand he caused quite a stir."

"Quite a stir…?" Draco replied in a shocked whisper. "Harry! Because of what he did there was a feud declared between the Merpeople and the Vampires that lasted for 250 years! Have you _any_ idea what a mess that feud caused us wizards? Water supplies were contaminated; protective barriers were erected making it impossible for us to enter certain areas. The Merpeople even denied us access to their fire lilies because they wanted to make sure no Vampires would get their hands on the rare flower…!" he continued in an outrage.

"Why are you yelling at me?" Harry asked with a curious air, fighting hard to contain his amusement. "I wasn't even born in 1022. It wasn't me who spiked those drinks, so why are you standing there, shouting at me, waving your arms about?"

Draco paused, why was he shouting at his mate? Blinking rapidly as he gathered his scattered wits, he suddenly remembered what had started him off. "Didn't you realise what a dangerous potion Black Heart is?" he cried, his indignation back in full force. "The drinker will express their darkest, deepest desire, the darker the better. And you fed it to a bunch of school kids?" Draco could not believe what he was hearing. Had he been that wrong about Harry? Had he managed to hide a dark and sinister side to the wizarding world for the past five years? Draco felt a shiver run down his spine, who exactly was he trying to bond with?

Harry's amusement died down some once he realised just how upset the Veela was. "Calm down Draco, the potion only has that effect if you drink it. I poured some on each seat, causing it to be absorbed via the skin through the clothes. Taken that way, the potion only causes the victim to state what it is they hate. I would never do anything to deliberately hurt someone, I'm not my father. If I prank someone, it is either as payback for past sins or for fun. True, the lions and the snakes might not have found the episode funny, but from what Lucius told us, the other two Houses were practically crawling on the floor at the end."

Draco stopped to think. What Harry said was true; no harm had come from that prank. Then he smirked, the Weasel might not agree with him though, considering that Severus had had him spending an entire evening pickling bat spleens, and murtlap tentacles, and stewing slughorns, as punishment for his remark about the Potions Professor. The blond had a feeling that the redhead's feelings for Snape had not warmed one iota.

"I stand corrected. I guess I'm a bit sensitive about that incident. The Malfoys held exclusive rights to any harvested fire lilies and when we no longer could provide them, the Potions Masters hit the roof and demanded retributions from us. It was quite a mess, and since no one knew who the culprit was, there was no one we could demand revenge upon. Should have figured it was a Black that was behind the entire thing. There hasn't been a Black born who wasn't up to something no good." Draco sighed.

"If you didn't know who did it, how do you know what potion was used?" Harry wanted to know.

"You don't think that was the last time that particular potion stirred up trouble do you? Oh, no. It has popped up every once in a while, always causing a mess. Did you know that the arranged marriage between Vampire Queen Serezza of the Cobra clan and High Lord Montgomery Snape, designed to create peace between the Vampire clan and Wizards, was cancelled due to Snape's unfortunate confession that he dreamed of staking the queen's younger brother? Quite understandable if you ask me since the vampire had killed off Snape's parents and two older sisters. The Queen was not as understanding and the whole thing was called off, almost resulting in a full blown war and all because Dimitry Black fancied the Queen and wanted her for himself.

"Trust me Harry, when I tell you that that potion has cased nothing but trouble. In fact, I thought all traces of Black Truth had been destroyed to ensure that no one could ever use it again," the blond added with a thoughtful frown.

"They did," Harry nodded. "I'm not sure what they did, but it is impossible to write down the recipe. I wonder how they did that?"

"Then how did you find it?" Draco wanted to know, intrigued in spite of himself.

"The recipe might not exist on paper anymore, but the inventor still remembers how to do it. He was only too delighted to talk me through the different steps. I have never been so relieved to be finished with a potion, as I was when I bottled that thing. A more obnoxious, unpleasant painting I have never met!" Harry said, shuddering at the memory.

"Then why did you put up with him?"

Harry shrugged once more. "For one, I didn't know until later what a dangerous potion Black Truth is, and second, I like the idea of its effect too much to pass it up just because my teacher was as bigheaded as Lockhart, only not as pleasant."

Draco laughed. "You have got to take me to see the Manor! Maybe during the Christmas break?"

"Sure, why not? It is yours by birthright anyway. You are the last male Black descendant. That reminds me, what did you mean with 'there was no one we could demand revenge upon'?" Harry asked with curiosity.

"My forefather swore an oath, that if a Malfoy ever found out who the culprit behind that debacle was, they were bound by his oath to demand retribution to the loss of face and the loss of income his or her actions had caused." Draco explained, intrigued by the look on Harry's face.

"Is that oath still valid?"

"Of course, a Malfoy takes revenge _very_ seriously. Especially when it involves a slur on our good name. Did you know that one of my forefathers utterly ruined the current Minister of Magic because he had the gall to make a disparaging comment about his youngest daughter?"

Harry waved that incident aside, far more interested in the implications Draco's first statement had awakened. "Then aren't you bound by that oath to take revenge on Narcissa, since she is a Black?" Harry asked, putting on his most innocent face.

Draco's mouth fell open and he felt heat creep up into his cheeks. He had totally missed the implications by his own words. His father would never let him live this down! His father… Black… Draco began to smirk. "As a matter of fact, I am. And so will my father once we tell him about this. Come on lets go!" Draco demanded, grabbing hold of Harry's arm, dragging him towards the school.

"Not so fast," Harry protested, digging his heels in, refusing to budge. "We aren't finished yet."

"What else is there to say? I bet you a lot of the contracts mum has will be invalid due to the oath. Do you realise what this will mean for us when father finally can throw that bitch out for good?"

"I'm not talking about your stupid revenge!" Harry sighed, rolling his eyes. "We got sidetracked, remember? I want you to understand why exactly I got so mad at you."

Thinking back at the events that had led up to all this Draco remembered that, yes indeed, they had gotten a bit sidetracked. "I'm listening Harry," the blond promised with a sincere look on his face. He really did want to understand why the other teen had flown off the handle the way he had. He had just bragged about his mate to his best friend, what was the harm in that?

Harry sighed and rubbed his nose. This being a mate clearly would take some time getting used to. "I guess I kind of understand why you told Blaise that it was me behind that prank. He is your friend…"

"Yeah, we've known each other since we were mere babies," Draco helpfully cut in.

"But I don't think you understand what being with me means," Harry continued to speak as if the blond hadn't said a word.

"What is it I don't understand?" Draco asked with a frown.

"You know fully well that Skeeter is an illegal animagus," Harry said pointedly, giving Draco a dark look; he still hadn't forgiven him for the things he'd said to that bitch during their fourth year. "Add to that, the fact that Fudge would love to drag my name through the mud and you have to be very careful about what you say to people, always being very mindful of where you are. Now, inside Hogwarts it is safe to talk about stuff, since there are several wards protecting the students and the Professors from eavesdroppers. Salazar saw to that, unfortunately it was too late to prevent that bitch from printing her nasty stuff. He might 'only' be a painting, but Salazar still holds strong ties to Hogwarts, and he had a talk to her and together they modified the wards inside the school to prevent people like Rita Skeeter to eavesdrop on private conversations.

"However, out here, there are no protections. If you are to talk about sensitive stuff you have to erect privacy wards. Ron, Hermione, and I became experts on those during last year, what with hiding away from that toad and her Inquisition Squad. Now it is practically second hand to always put up a screen if I want to talk about things I don't want to become common knowledge. Call me paranoid, but Mad-Eye has a point. Constant Vigilance, it is the only way to stay ahead of the game."

Draco leaned back looking up into the sky considering the things Harry had told him. Was it really that bad? Somehow the blond found it difficult to believe it was, but for now he would respect Harry's wishes and play along. Later he would have a quiet word with his father, maybe the older Malfoy had some pearls of wisdom that applied on this situation? Then he remembered. "What about that day in Hogsmeade, when we had lunch at Rosmerta's we talked about a lot of personal stuff then, how come…?"

"You mean you didn't feel the privacy screen I erected once the food had been brought to us?" Harry asked with disbelief.

Thinking back Draco was forced to shake his head, he hadn't felt any magic being used.

"Huh," was Harry's response.

"I'm not sure I fully understand what it is you are worried about, but I promise to be more careful in the future," Draco said eventually, deciding this was matter he needed to consider later and in private.

"Good. Thank you," Harry added with a small smile. "I know you and the rest of the wizarding world think I'm leading some kind of charmed life, but I think you will find that it is far from fun being the Boy Who Lived, and I'm not only talking about the fact that I have a madman out for my life." Unwrapping the reins from his arm, Harry walked over to his horse and after a pat to the proud neck, mounted his ride once more. _I really need to think of a name for him, I can't go on calling him Horse_, he mused "I don't know about you, but I'm famished. Wanna head inside and get some lunch?"

"Gladly, some prat woke me at the crack of dawn and forgot to feed me!" Draco complained haughtily, pleased when his antics tricked a laugh out of Harry. Side by side they walked the horses back to the stable, and side by side they headed back towards the school. For this brief moment in time, life was good.

**Next Time:  
**Harry has another confrontation with Hermione,  
things doesn't go exactly as the witch has imagined it…  
Stay Tuned…


	21. More Confrontations

**Summary:  
**Draco finds his mate and a tentative relationship is beginning to build  
Harry has an confrontation with his friends  
Harry and Draco enjoys their Sunday morning

**Disclaimer:  
**See chapter one

**A/N:  
**You can find my responses to some of my reviews for chapter 20 at: www . livejournal . com / users / janarae / 927 . html (remove the spaces.)

This will in time be a slash-story. Don't like it? Don't read it.

Thank you Keikokin for checking my grammar, any mistakes left are my own.

* * *

**More Confrontations **

"You two look like you have been enjoying yourselves," Lucius said looking up at the two teens as they entered their rooms, looking windblown and happy.

"Hello father! Yes, we've been out riding with Blaise. We had a race to see whose horse was fastest and Harry's won," Draco said bounding over to the coffee table and the tray with refreshments. Pouring himself a goblet of juice, he drank from it eagerly, not pausing to breathe until he had finished.

Lucius looked over at Harry, an eyebrow raised in inquiry.

"It was my idea," Harry answered the unvoiced question. He shrugged slightly. "They were friends before I came into the picture. I'd hate for them to stop being friends because of me."

"I see. That is very mature of you," Lucius said once more thanking the deities for the kindness they had bestowed upon his son.

"Not really, I know how important friends are and how much it hurts when you loose one. Sometimes it is unavoidable and sometimes all it takes is some effort. Draco is not my slave. He is free to have whomever friends he likes." Eying the tray Harry changed the subject. "Are you hungry? I am starved."

"So am I," Draco piped in, pouring himself some more juice. "How about some more Italian? I'm in the mood for some pasta."

"That's fine with me, I'll just need to go and get cleaned up first," Harry nodded his agreement.

"I guess pasta it is," Lucius said with amusement to the empty room. At Harry's words Draco had rushed to his bedroom to shower and change as well, leaving the elder Malfoy alone.

"Hey dad! You are _never_ going to believe what potion it was that Harry used when he pranked the Great Hall," Draco said eagerly once they were sitting down at the table, their plates loaded with food.

Lucius merely raised an eyebrow, it wasn't exactly a question he had lost any sleep over, but by the way Draco was fairly vibrating with excitement it must have been something spectacular that had been used. "Then why don't you spare me the effort?" he drawled with a teasing smile.

"Black Truth!" Draco crowed timing his reply to when his father put some pasta into his mouth, laughing in delight as his father promptly choked.

"Black Truth!" Lucius managed to wheeze out, grabbing for his wine glass in an effort to get his windpipe unblocked.

"Black Truth," Draco nodded in confirmation.

"Where, in Merlin's name, did you find the recipe for that thrice-cursed potion boy?" Lucius roared, turning his now blazing gaze on the brunet sitting next to his son.

Harry shrank back from the angry man, having a flashback to his uncle. The shout of 'boy' did not help him stay in the here and now. Sitting there, frozen in fear, Harry soon bolted from the room when Lucius suddenly reached out to grab him by the front of his vest.

Running into his bedroom, Harry threw up the strongest warding charms he knew before looking widely around the room. He shouldn't have run in here, now he was trapped! Cursing vehemently at his own stupidity, Harry dived into the wardrobe, slamming it shut and warding it as well. He hoped by doing so that either they didn't manage to break down the doors, leaving him alone, or that by the time they reached him they'd be exhausted and he would be able to slip past them and get away.

In the living room two blond men stared at the seat where Harry moments earlier had been seated. Then the surprise wore off and Draco rounded on his father. "What did you do that for? "he shouted incensed. "Harry didn't know the history that potion holds to our family! But thanks to him we now know who the inventor was; who it was that used that thing to spike those drinks, and you will never guess who it was! Montgomery Black! Which means that the Blacks owe us retribution! And that is why I brought it up, because this means we will be able to take an even more effective revenge on mum than just kicking her out of the family! But you had to scare Harry off with your display! How could you?" Draco screamed, his worry for his mate overriding everything else.

Lucius had by now calmed down, realising that his reaction had perhaps not been the best when dealing with an abused child. However, he was not about to allow his own son to talk to him like that.

Glaring at the youth, he sent a powerful calming spell his way, waiting for it to take effect. Once he had calmed down, Lucius glared at his son and hissed, "I know he is your mate, but you are _never_ to speak to me like that again, understood?"

Draco gulped and nodded wearily, he had for a moment forgotten how scary his father could be when truly angered.

"Good, as for my reaction, how did you think I would react? Calmly say, 'that's good Harry, would you mind telling me who the inventor is?'" Lucius asked his voice laced with sarcasm. "Of course I was going to hit the roof! It took the Malfoys _years_ to win back their good name as providers of excellent potions ingredients, and we never truly managed completely; thus forcing my great-great-grandfather to give up on that avenue after the mess with the Weasleys. You know very well how much money we lost then."

"No, what you should have done was find me alone and tell me this in private. Harry might be a part of this family now, but some things are better told when alone, and don't you ever forget that." Lucius pierced his son with a dark glare, still infuriated at how immaturely Draco had handled the entire thing.

Draco sighed and hung his head. His father was right. He had just been so eager to share the good news, but thinking back at how he himself had reacted, he could see that this was not the best way to go about it. "You are correct father, and I apologise. I did not think, I just…"

"I understand my Dragon; believe it or not, I still remember how it was to be young and impulsive." Lucius smiled warmly, placing a gentle hand on his son's shoulder, pulling him into a hug.

Draco fairly melted into the hug, it showed him better than any words that his father had forgiven him.

"What about Harry?" Draco eventually asked, pulling away with regret. Now that his worries with his father had been sorted out, his concern for his mate was back in full strength.

"Let's see if we can convince him to come out," Lucius mused, grabbing hold of his necklace. "I felt the strength of those wards he put up and I do not wish to attempt to break them down. He will be truly formidable once his powers have fully developed."

Draco beamed with pride, taking hold of his own necklace, intending to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Harry? Can you hear me child? I wish to apologise for my outburst, it was most un-courteous on my part and I wish to beg your pardon," Lucius stated formally.

Draco snorted; no way was that speech going to get Harry to come out from his room!

Harry was sitting curled up on the floor of the wardrobe when Lucius' voice suddenly appeared at the back of his mind. Stiffening, the brunet listened intently. The elder Malfoy didn't sound angry, but you never knew. He hadn't known the older man for that long, what if it was just a trick to lure him out?

"Harry?" Lucius asked once more, a bit worried that the teen hadn't answered him. Just how badly had he frightened the boy?

"Hey Harry, it's alright. Dad isn't mad anymore," Draco chimed in helpfully.

Harry slowly backed further into the wardrobe; he was confused and didn't know what to do. He wanted to believe them, but did he dare to?

"Harry? Please answer me if you can hear me," Lucius said getting extremely worried.

Slowly Harry grabbed hold of his necklace. Lucius sounded worried; there wasn't a hint of anger in his voice. Uncle Vernon had never managed to mask his emotions that well, maybe it _was_ safe? "Lucius?" he all but whispered, as if speaking the blond's name would bring him crashing into the room.

"Harry," Lucius said, his voice filled with relief. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine sir," Harry replied automatically.

"Somehow I don't think you are," Lucius stated dryly. "I'm sorry I scared you, I wasn't thinking… Would you please come out so we can finish our lunch? You must be starved by now and I promise not to do anything to upset you again."

"Lunch? You're still going to feed me?" Harry asked without thinking, revealing more than he'd intended to the two Malfoys.

Lucius hung his head in sorrow; did the child really think they would withhold food? Then he mentally shook his head, of course he would think that, that was the lesson those blasted muggles had instilled again and again.

"I want you to know something Harry, and I want you to believe what I'm about to tell you. As long as I am alive and breathing, you will never want for food ever again, understand?"

"Yes," Harry whispered, although deep down in his heart he did not believe Malfoy at all.

Lucius sighed, but did not push the matter, only time would tell the boy that he could trust them to take care of him. "Will you please come out? The food is getting cold and Draco is wearing a path in the carpet."

Draco looked up from where he was standing next to his father and stuck his tongue out.

"You promise not to shout?" Harry asked timidly, wanting so badly to believe Lucius when he said he wasn't angry anymore.

"Yes, Harry, you have my word as a Malfoy," Lucius replied, willing the skittish youth to emerge from his room.

For several long moments Harry just sat there, clasping the necklace tightly. Then he sighed and dropped it. He couldn't stay here for the rest of his life, so he might as well go out and face the music. And the next time he fled, he'd make sure not to box himself in like this!

Taking the ward down, Harry emerged into his bedroom. Sending his senses out, he listened intently, but nothing could be heard. Knowing he had no other options, he took a deep breath and took down the wards on the bedroom door.

In the living room, the Malfoys let out a sigh of relief when they felt the ward go down. Eagerly they waited for the door to open.

It took another five minutes before it opened though, and Harry timidly peeked out through the small crack. Being met with twin reassuring smiles, Harry emerged from the bedroom, still looking tense and ready to run.

"There you are," Draco said in delight, bounding over to his mate, wrapping a friendly arm around stiff shoulders. Steering Harry towards the table, he decided he better apologise to the brunet as well.

"I'm sorry Harry. This whole mess is my fault. I should have known how dad would react to our news, and I should have told him in private. That potion really is a sore point for us Malfoys and I really, really should have known better, and…"

Harry couldn't help but chuckle. "Draco, you're babbling. I forgive you. Besides, I overreacted as well." Shrugging slightly Harry settled back in his chair, picking up his fork, determined to put the entire episode behind him.

The Malfoys were no less eager, and they too resumed eating, chatting pleasantly about nothing at all.

Privately though, Lucius was determined to find out what had set Harry off, there had to be more to it than him merely loosing his temper.

However, the three of them were destined not to have a quiet meal in peace. They had barely taken three bites of their lunch when there suddenly was a ruckus outside the door. It almost sounded as if someone was screaming at Salazar.

"Maybe we should put up a temporary painting to avoid situations like this," Harry mused, wincing at a particularly loud scream.

"Circe and Merlin, what is going on out there?" Lucius demanded getting to his feet, making sure not to show his growing irritation, afraid he'd set off Harry again. Throwing the portrait open he found a red-faced Hermione Granger standing there, wand in hand, and her hair transfigured into a horse's tail.

"Miss Granger, what is the meaning of this?"

"I want to see Harry!" Hermione demanded, levelling her wand on the aristocrat.

"And for that you see fit to cause such a ruckus? Who told you where he was if I may ask?" Lucius asked having a feeling it hadn't been Harry who'd told her of his new whereabouts.

"Does it matter? You have no right keeping his friends from him!" Hermione snapped.

"I suppose it was Dumbledore then. Very well, you had better come in I suppose. I do hope you have better manners sitting at the table then you have displayed so far."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked entering the living room.

"We were just sitting down to eat lunch. I assume you wish to join us?" Lucius said with a long suffering sigh.

"I, um, I don't want to impose," Hermione said a bit uncomfortably, she hadn't counted on Malfoy senior to be present. _But what did I expect? They are keeping him a prisoner here, forcing poor Harry to be rude to his friends. Well I'm going to show him that no matter what, he still has friends. No matter what he is forced to do to push us away._

"Since you already are..." Lucius said meaningly causing Hermione to blush.

Holding her head up high she stated, "Then I'd be delighted to join you for lunch."

"Splendid. I am sure the elves made enough for one more," Lucius said with air of a martyr, causing Harry to choke on a giggle.

"Hello Hermione, I wasn't expecting you. Is everything alright?" Harry said doing his best to be polite. He didn't feel like being a good host though, he had come to cherish these moments when it was only him and the Malfoys, and he was resenting this intrusion very much. Added to that was the fact that he still felt shaky and insecure about the incident earlier… He did not need to deal with the extra strain of having Hermione present.

"Yes, everything is fine," Hermione replied sitting down between the two Malfoys, feeling a bit uncomfortable. Her eyes widened when she finally noticed what was being served and she dug in with relish.

Beside her, Draco rolled his eyes but he refrained from saying anything. He was too busy wishing the witch to the other side of the earth. He wanted to reassure himself that Harry really was all right. Besides, he still hadn't forgiven her and the Weasel for the things they had said to Harry. Those three were supposed to be the best of friends! How dare they treat Harry like that?

"I didn't think you and Ron were talking to me, considering the things you said before the healing class," Harry prodded rolling some spaghetti onto his fork, mirroring the actions of Lucius and Draco to the best of his ability. The Dursleys had never bothered with good manners at the dinner table and Harry didn't want the Malfoys to feel ashamed of him.

"Oh? And what did they say?" Lucius inquired. If those immature brats were interfering with Draco and his mate they would rue they day they where born.

"Nothing of importance," Harry waved the question aside, not wanting to go through that argument again, especially not in front of Lucius.

"Harry! How can you say that! Ron had some valid points and you know it!" Hermione snapped levelling a glare at the boy sitting opposite her.

"And what exactly _did_ Mr. Weasley say?" Lucius purred.

"What didn't he say? He sprouted the usual nonsense that all Slytherins are slimy snakes, not to mention that you are both Malfoys. Then he was miffed I could look past the way Draco has been treating us for the past five years, as if we have been behaving any better," Harry snorted earning himself another glare from Hermione.

"How dare you Harry! Have you already forgotten all the times Malfoy there called me a mudblood? Or all the times he's insulted you and Ron? If you say you have I won't believe you and I will drag you to see Madame Pomfrey to check for memory charms or other spells!"

"No one has memory charmed me, but maybe someone has done that to you? Yes, Draco has made it a sport to torment us, but tell me Hermione, would he have continued to do so if we hadn't raised to the bait each and every time? It is no fun teasing someone who doesn't react. We have said and done some pretty nasty things too. What about the time Ron tried to hex Draco into spewing up slugs? You didn't seem to mind that very much. What about the time you slapped him? If you had ignored him he would have gone away, instead you gave him power over you, we all did."

"But he always started it!" Hermione cried out in righteous anger.

"Oh, please! What are we, five years old? It is all in the past, let it go Hermione, I have."

"What about the diary he gave Ginny? Huh? What about that? Or when Sirius died? He was there that night too!"

"Is there a point to all this?" Harry asked through gritted teeth. He was starting to get angry, tired at being on the defensive. He had actually thought Hermione would be able to support his decision in giving Draco a chance, clearly he had been hoping for too much.

"The point is that you can't trust them Harry! Don't you see? They are turning you away from your true friends, by alienating them until all you have are them. They are Death Eaters. They are on Riddle's side. They will turn you over to him once they have earned your trust, can't you see that? Come back Harry, come back to the tower where you belong before it is too late."

Harry slowly rose from his chair, his eyes glowing with suppressed rage and power. "I think it is you who should return to the Gryffindor Tower, Hermione. And you can tell the Headmaster that you did your best, but I am not about to turn my back on the Malfoys. Yes, they have acted as enemies in the past, but in the past week they have acted more like true friends than you and Ron have in a long time. If I am forced to choose, then I chose them. Not you and Ron. Them. Stew on _that_ why don't you? And while you are at it, I suggest you re-read those books on Veelas I know you've been going through. Clearly the information missed your brain and hit further south!" he snapped, stalking over to the door and flinging it open, pointedly waiting for Hermione to leave.

The witch sat in her chair, stunned. Seeing the disapproving stares the Malfoys were directing at her Hermione gave off a soft eeep and fled the room, not daring to stay a moment longer.

"I'm sorry you were subjected to that," Harry said with a tired sigh, sinking back into his chair, looking at his food with distaste before pushing the plate away, unable to stomach the food on it anymore.

"I am more concerned about you," Lucius replied pushing the plate back. The child had hardly eaten anything at all. "Eat a little, you will feel better afterwards," he coaxed gently.

"I'm not really hungry anymore." Harry said with a wry grin.

"I know, but you need to eat, how about one of the croissants?"

Harry gave in and took one of the breads, split and buttered it. He bit into it and chewed but Lucius was betting a pretty Knut that the child didn't taste what he was eating.

HPDM

Lucius watched as Harry and Draco made themselves comfortable, stretching out on the two couches, each holding an old journal from one of the trunks. The events from earlier in the day were praying heavily on his mind. Harry had more issues than he'd suspected, but he shouldn't have been surprised by the boy's reaction to anger. He came from an abusive household for Merlin's sake; _of course_ the child was going to react badly to displays of anger. They needed to address what had happened, yet, at the same time Lucius didn't think it was wise to bring it up so soon.

Then there were the things Granger had said. By Salazar, could she have brought up the events at the Department of Mystery at a worse time? Harry was already dealing with so much; he didn't need the reminders of that night, not after that nightmare… Maybe he could ease the child's mind when it came to his involvement in that fiasco. Making up his mind, Lucius made his way over to the couch Harry was occupying, saying softly, "I wasn't there that night you know, the night the Dark Lord lured you to the Ministry."

"I know," Harry replied dully, not wanting to talk about it.

Sighing softly, Lucius settled next to the teen. He knew he was treading on dangerous ground, but the boy needed to realise that what had happened wasn't his fault.

Before he could say anything, Harry continued in a monotone voice, "It was Avery using Polyjuice. Dumbledore told me this summer. He didn't want me to fly off the handle if I was to find out that you were out and about. Apparently no one told my 'friends' this little fact." Harry snorted. "For some reason I wasn't allowed to read the Prophet. Was Fudge using his usual approach when dealing with unpleasant facts?"

"You could say that yes. He was forced to admit that the Dark Lord is indeed back, and he tried to get the heat off himself by attempting to prosecute you for breaking into the Department of Mysteries. I don't know what Dumbledore did to prevent that going to trial and frankly, I don't care."

Harry nodded, not interested either. "Why did he polyjuice Avery? Why not send you if he wanted you there?"

"The Dark Lord wasn't sure his plans were going to work. Moreover, he needs me too much to risk having me arrested and my good name smeared any more than it already is. So he sent in Avery in my place, thinking that if it blew up in our faces, as it did, it would muddle the waters and make people think that the other times they'd seen me, maybe it wasn't actually me."

He looked down at Harry and added, "Harry I have done a lot of things I'm not proud of in the name of the Dark Lord."

"I know. You don't have to explain," Harry said gently, placing a hand on the older man's arm. "I can't tell you how I know, but I know that Severus will find a way to remove the Dark Mark and you two will be free to be together as you should have been all along."

"How did you know?" Lucius asked in shock.

"I'm not sure," Harry tried to explain. "But ever since my birthday I have had dreams. At first I thought they were more visions from dear old Voldie, but I'm not so sure anymore. I saw you coming into your inheritance. I saw how you found your mate in Severus. You were so happy." He smiled at the memory. "Then your fathers decided to step in and I saw how they forced you to take the mark, tearing you apart. But I have also dreamed a dream where you two are together, free of the mark, free of that bitch Narcissa, and the four of us are living as one big happy family. I couldn't make sense out of that one but then I found out that Draco was a Veela and I was his mate and I couldn't help but wonder if that had been a glimpse from the future and..."

Harry wasn't aware he was crying until Lucius pulled him up and into a gentle hug. Burying his face into the strong shoulder Harry let the tears flow, for the first time not ashamed of them. Then an added warmth appeared at his back and he realised it was Draco, silently offering his support as well.

"Harry, I promise you that we will do our utmost to make that dream come true. You have my word as a Malfoy," Lucius whispered, rocking all of them until Harry had cried himself to sleep.

Easing the boy back down on the couch, tucking a blanket around him, Lucius sat and just looked at the youth who had given him so much hope.

"Father?"

"Yes son?"

"Do you think he is a Seer?"

"I don't know my Dragon. It is centuries since the Potters produced a true Seer and Lily was supposedly muggle born. I am beginning to doubt that though. All we can do for now is be there for him and keeping his secrets. It is clear that he has told no one and I'm guessing he has good reasons for it. Who knows what he has 'seen'.

Draco settled on the floor next to his father, pressing into his legs. "Thank you for being there for him father."

"That is what families are for son. A true family never lets its member's struggle through life

alone."

Draco looked pensively at his mate, who looked so peaceful while he slept. It was dawning on him how... drawn Harry looked while awake. As if he carried a heavy burden on his shoulders. Silently he cursed the wizarding world for doing this to his mate. He did not deserve that. The state of the world was not his fault, or his responsibility and he couldn't help but wonder how different Harry's life would have been if his parents had been alive. That reminded him of their conversation in the bookshop and he turned troubled eyes on his father.

"Dad? Do the Potter's have a Manor?"

"A Manor? The Potters? I would guess so son. Why do you ask?"

"It was something Harry said while we were shopping the other day. He said he didn't think the Potters had a Manor, because if they had, why didn't they go there when they went into hiding? You've always told me that if the Manor's Blood Wards were raised, no being would be able to penetrate them and that we would be perfectly safe there..." his voice trailed off and he looked expectantly at his father.

"That is true Draco. I've never thought about it before, but Godric's Hollow is, well, was, nothing but a big cottage. It sure as hell was no Manor. Considering how old the Potter Family line is, yes, they should have a Manor, if not a Castle (even). I wonder why James didn't take his family there? He must have known they would be safer there than under even the Fidelius Charm. After all, there are ways to get around that charm. There is no way around

Blood Wards." Lucius stared into space as he tried to remember the things he'd been told of the Potters.

"Do you think it was more meddling by Dumbledore? After all, he knew the entire prophecy. Maybe there was something in it that he considered worth sacrificing some of his most loyal followers for in hopes of bringing Riddle down."

"I don't know. Considering the way he has been treating Harry all these years, I'm beginning to wonder. I have always considered Albus Dumbledore a meddling old fool. I never took him for being a ruthless bastard as well." He looked Draco in the eyes, trying to convey how serious he was. "I want you to be very careful Draco. Make sure you always carry your portkey, and I will be giving one to Harry as well. Considering the actions of his friends, I am beginning to fear that Dumbledore might try and separate the two of you, no matter how supportive of your union he seems to be."

"Dad?"

"I know he is desperate to get the two of us on his side in this war, but at the same time he is even more desperate to have Harry completely under his thumb. He wants to have a pawn, not a warrior. Harry is starting to show his independence and I fear the blame will be put on us. Promise me that you will be extremely careful from now on, Dragon. Don't trust anyone or anything unless it is given to you by me or Severus."

"I promise Father." Draco swore solemnly. "What have you found out? Has Dumbles done something else to hurt Harry?"

Lucius considered carefully what to tell his son, but in the end he opted to tell the truth – the full truth. His son deserved to know and he needed to know if he was to help his mate heal. "While you were sleeping in the infirmary, Poppy had a few things she whished to share with me..."

* * *

**Next Time:  
**Dumbledore steps up his meddling and Harry hits the roof,  
Stay tuned… 


	22. Meddling Headmasters and the Dark Mark

**Summary:  
**Draco finds his mate and a tentative relationship is beginning to build  
Harry and Draco enjoys their Sunday morning  
Hermione comes for a visit

**A/N:  
**You can find my responses to some of my reviews for chapter 21 at: www . livejournal . com / users / janarae / 1032 . html (remove the spaces.)

This will in time be a slash-story. Don't like it? Don't read it.

Thank you Keikokin for checking my grammar, any mistakes left are my own.

* * *

**Meddling Headmaster and the Dark Mark **

Hermione marched down the corridors of Hogwarts, fuming. That had _not_ gone the way she had anticipated! She had been prepared to go and visit Harry and be gracious when taking him back, although he had not been behaving the way he should. He hadn't even bothered to tell her and Ron where his new rooms were, she had to go to the Headmaster to find that out.

Had Harry been grateful that she had come? Noooo. He had hidden it well, but Hermione could read him like one of her books, and she knew fully well that he hadn't been pleased to see her. Who the hell did he think he was? Didn't he realise that he was nothing without her? Who kept nagging at him to make him study? Had he any idea how abysmal his grades would have been if it wasn't for her helping him with his schoolwork?

Furthermore, who exactly was it that had puzzled the pieces together when they had been trying to figure out what that menace Fluffy was hiding? Who was it that had figured out that the monster that was roaming the school during their second year was a Basilisk? Hermione Granger, resident genius, that's who!

How dare Harry throw all that aside? How dare he spend all his time with the Malfoys and not acknowledge that he still needed her at his side? What did the Malfoys have that she didn't? Besides money, but Harry had plenty of that himself and he didn't need any more.

Didn't he realise? No he didn't, Hermione was forced to admit, and that was one of the reasons she had stayed friends with him for all these years. She had early on realised that although wizards like Albus Dumbledore liked muggleborns and did not discriminate against them, most of the wizarding world was not as forward in their thinking and still measured a person by their blood. If she was to get somewhere, she needed the help of a wizard like Harry Potter.

The boy had no political aspirations what so ever, but Hermione had, and she figured she easily would become the next Minister of Magic after she graduated if she had the backing of the Hero, Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived. She was not about to let her dreams allow to go up in smoke just because Harry suddenly was the mate of a Veela!

Hermione shuddered at the thought. At first when Professor Dumbledore had told her and Ron that Harry was a Veela's mate, she had been thrilled for Harry's sake. It was an added bonus that the Veela in question was Draco Malfoy. If she could get both those boys behind her, there was no opposition she could not overcome between her intelligence, Harry's hero status, or the Malfoy prestige; although it was a bit tarnished nowadays she had to admit. Still, if they were associated with Harry Potter, the smudge would soon be forgotten.

However, that was before she truly studied what being with a Veela entitled, and she hadn't liked what she'd found. If only she had read up on the creatures last year, but for once Hermione hadn't bothered since she was more concerned with the end of school and recovering from the fiasco at the Department of Mystery. Being the chosen one of a Veela was nothing like the romantic notions she'd had, fuelled by the lectures given by McGonagall.

She had been given the impression that the Veela would spend his or her life doing everything in their powers to make their mate happy. Hermione had liked that idea, and had even spent a few evenings dreaming of having her own Veela, but that was only half the truth. The lecture hadn't mentioned much that the mate was virtually their Veela's slave! They could not spend time freely with other people; the Veela had to sanction which people it was alright for their mate to associate with. Furthermore, the Veela was extremely reluctant to let their mate out of their sight, ruled as they were by their fears that their mate would leave them.

Hermione snorted; of course the mate would leave them, when they were given no freedom. All her life Hermione had been ruled by other people and once she was considered an adult no one would ever tell her what to do ever again! Her parents had forever kept nagging at her not to read so much and spend time with her friends. Her 'friends' never wanted to sit quietly in a cosy corner and read, they only wanted to run around screaming and playing some silly game or other, when they weren't gossiping about boys and clothes. Hermione suppressed another shudder.

Her teachers hadn't been much better; either they had tried to hold her back to give the idiots in her class a chance to shine, or they were pressuring her into taking special classes, which brought her parents down on her back for spending too much time studying and not enough being a kid. Well maybe she hadn't wanted to be like those stupid children she'd been forced to spend time with? Maybe she _wanted_ to read and become something more than some stupid dentist!

To think that people thought she was in the bathroom crying because something Ronald Weasley had said that time in first year, as if that prat had meant anything to her then! No she had been furious with her teachers; Flitwick had been the third teacher to inform her, gently and with a pitying smile no less, that first years weren't allowed to do special projects for extra credit. Only those in third year and up could do that, since it was believed a student needed to concentrate on their lessons for the first two years since magic was new to most of them. Hermione snorted at the memory, as if she hadn't been on top of all her classes, showing everyone that she already knew the material and could very well do a few extra projects, but nooo. They could bend the rules for people like Harry Potter, but not for her! Oh, it still made her so angry just thinking about it.

Hermione came to a stop at an isolated alcove and she slipped inside it, settling on the windowsill, looking out yet not really seeing the landscape spreading out before her. She missed Percy. Despite the fact that he had been a fifth year and a Prefect, he hadn't minded spending time with her in the library, explaining things to her when she got stuck. In return, she had listened to him when he talked to her about his ambitions and the views he held for the future of the wizarding world. It was those talks that sparked her own political interest. Finally, here was somewhere that she could make a difference, an area where she could make a name for herself and show all those thumbing their nose at her simply because she wasn't like them.

Oh, how many times she had to bite her tongue not to lash out when Ron was maligning Percy? He just didn't understand what it took to get somewhere in life. He didn't realise what guts it took to go against your own family to do what you knew was right. So what if Percy had chosen to believe Fudge instead of following Albus Dumbledore? They were both trying to improve the wizarding world, only they went about it in different ways. It was Ron, not Percy that was shallow and petty. How dare he cut all ties with his brother just because they disagreed on a few things?

Hermione sighed and stared up into the sky. If only Percy wasn't engaged to that chit Clearwater… She wouldn't mind trying to win him for herself, just think of all the things they could accomplish together. With an ambitious man like Percy at her side, and with the backing of Arthur Weasley, who might not be high up in the Ministry ranking, but he did have friends and connections just about everywhere, plus the good word of Harry Potter…

Hermione sighed once more. What she had was Ron, a not particularly bright boy, but he did love her and he would support her no matter what, of that she was sure. She would still have the senior Weasley's backing, now all she had to make sure was that Harry didn't pull away any further than he had. It was probably all Malfoys doing anyway. Harry had been a bit distant during the summer, but everyone knew that was just his way of dealing with his grief. But he had had the entire summer to come to grips with his feelings, and it was time for him to focus on other things, like his studies and being with his friends.

All she had to figure out now was how to make him see that being with Draco was a very bad idea, and bring him back into their trio. She liked being a part of the Golden Trio, and she would do anything to make sure they stayed a trio. She had invested far too much time and energy in Harry to allow him to turn his back on her now. Especially since they only had two more years before they graduated. She had not allowed herself to be dragged along for all those adventures, and broken all those rules, just to be left with nothing at the end of the day!

Hermione tapped her bottom lip trying to think of what to do next. Talking to Harry had been pretty pointless. She would need help to get through to him. Unfortunately the only one she could think of who could help her was Ron, only Ron was too infuriated with Draco to see things clearly. Maybe if she talked to him, she could get him to see reason. Maybe if he realised that blowing up at Malfoy would only serve to drive Harry further away. While if they ignored the blond, Harry would probably listen to them and agree to come back to them.

Nodding her head decisively, Hermione left the little alcove, with a new spring in her step. She had a plan. Now all she needed to do was find Ron, who probably still was in the Great Hall considering that lunch was still being served. The witch shook her head in dismay, the way that boy stuffed his face all the time; you'd think he had tapeworms or something. _Hmm, I wonder if they affect wizards? Perhaps I'll ask Madam Pomfrey the next time I see her._

HPDM

Hermione walked into the Great Hall, and as she had suspected, there was Ron, eating and talking with Dean and Seamus. _They are probably wasting away the time discussing some silly sport when they could be studying. Boys!_ Hermione snorted with disdain. Plastering on a pleasant smile, she walked up to her year mates and settled down opposite of Ron. "Hello," she greeted them pleasantly, picking up an apple and toying with it.

"Hello 'Mione, how did… Merlin! What happened to you?" Ron gasped, choking on his mouthful of food.

"Ron?" Hermione asked, confused by the redhead's reaction. A snicker next to her caused her to turn towards Seamus, who was turning Weasley red in the face from holding in his snickers. "What's wrong with you people?" she demanded, getting annoyed.

Dean didn't bother trying to talk; he merely transfigured a napkin into a mirror and held it up for her to look into.

Hermione gasped and her hands flew up to her hair that somehow had been turned into a horse's tail. Feeling the coarse horsehair under her trembling fingers Hermione gave out an ear-piercing cry of outrage before she fled the Hall, tears of anger gathering in her eyes. Just _wait_ until she got her hands on Harry! This was all his fault, she just _knew_ he was the one behind this! She was so going to make him pay! _Then_ she was going to make him come crawling back on his knees, _begging_ her for her forgiveness!

HPDH

"Headmaster! Something has to be done! Just look what he did to me!" Hermione cried bursting into Dumbledore's office, not waiting for the aged man to greet them.

Dumbledore looked up from the book he was reading and blinked. Then he blinked again. He had never seen Hermione Granger this agitated before, and he had certainly never seen her wearing a horse's tail either. "Miss Granger?" he asked putting the book down. "Would you like some tea?" He didn't dare offer her a lemon drop. With a soft sigh he looked longingly at his stash, the candy always helped him think better, helped clear his mind. He wasn't about to try one in front of company, though, not as long as they were unpredictable. If only he could figure out how that hooligan did it!

"No thank you sir. What I want is for Harry to be detangled from the Malfoys. They are a bad influence on him! Just look what he did to my hair!" Hermione cried out in indignation, stalking about the room.

Ron, who had accompanied her for moral support, cautiously settled himself in a chair, eager to stay out of the enraged witch's way.

"Calm down Miss Granger and tell me what happened," Dumbledore soothed, turning his mind away from his lemon drops. This was clearly something serious that deserved his total focus.

Hermione stopped her pacing and took several calming breaths. "We, that is, Ron and I, tried to talk to Harry yesterday on our way to class. Malfoy was there - as always!" she snorted, getting agitated again. "He is always hanging around Harry these days. It is impossible to find Harry alone. We tried to connect with Harry, but Malfoy sabotaged us and we ended up in (a...) an argument." She turned large, earnest eyes on the Headmaster. "Sir, we know how important it is for us to support Harry, especially at the moment, but _must_ he hang out with Malfoy _every_ second of the day? I don't like him. He always provokes an argument. How are we to talk to Harry and remind him of where his friends are, when we can't talk to him? Harry is turning away from us, and I don't know how to stop it!" she burst into tears and Ron hurried to her side, putting his arms around her in an attempt to comfort her.

"That does sound a bit worrisome, I have to agree." Dumbledore mused. "But I find it hard to believe that Harry hexed you, or allowed young Draco to do it."

Hermione snorted, coming out of Ron's shoulder, drying off her tears feeling a bit embarrassed for her lack of control. "It wasn't Harry that hexed me," she stated with disdain. As if Harry had either the power or the knowledge to hex, jinx or curse her with a spell she couldn't undo! "When I was unable to get rid of this… thing, I went to see Madam Pomfrey and she claims it must have been done by someone in close contact with the castle, because she was not allowed to change my hair back. Therefore, I went back to talk to the portrait guarding Harry's door and he had the gall to inform me that since I was showing such bad breeding, he had hexed my hair as a lesson! All I did was tell him to allow me to enter since I was one of Harry's friends, but all he did was argue with me! Another fine example of how those Death Eaters are keeping Harry alone and isolated, and Harry is so naive that he allows it. He's so desperate for some affection that he can't see what is going on! Headmaster, please, you have to do something, before it is too late!" Hermione pleaded, wringing her hands in agitation.

"Hmm, yes, I've had my run-in with that particular portrait myself. Rest assured, something will be done, I will speak with Harry and make him see how he is neglecting his friends. I will also speak to him about his door guard. I assure you, something like this will not happen again."

"Oh thank you sir! I _knew_ you would be able to make Harry see reason." Hermione beamed.

"Yes, however, I must urge you to try and get along with Draco. I know it is much to ask of you, but you _must_ remember what is at stake. Lucius Malfoy is a strong wizard with connections just about everywhere. It is for a reason he is the Dark Lord's right hand man. If we can lure him away from Lord Voldemort, it would be a big blow to him. That will only happen if Harry refuses to join the Dark side. We all know Harry is firmly set in the Light, but if we alienate Draco too much, they might be able to sway him away from us and over to their side. You said it yourself Miss Granger," Dumbledore continued when the two teens opened their mouths to protest. "Harry has had very little love in his life. If he were to get it from the Malfoys they just might be able to influence his thinking."

"Then we should try and get him away from that Ferret!" Ron exploded. "He doesn't need them! It is Malfoy that needs Harry, not the other way around. Separate them and Harry will return to us and all will be as it was!"

"I'm afraid it is not that simple, young man. The Veela laws are very strict. If I were to try to separate the two of them, the law dictates that the pair will be taken out of Hogwarts and given into custody of a guardian who is willing to promote the bond between them. We all know Lucius Malfoy will do everything to get Harry to mate with his son. Are you prepared to have Harry taken away from us? I know I am not."

"Oh," Ron said intelligently, realising for the first time what a bind his best friend was in.

"But isn't there anything we can do?" he asked almost imploringly. He didn't want the slimy Ferret around, and Ron knew his parents weren't happy with the situation either.

"I'm afraid not. All we can do is to be there for Harry and remind him of where his true friends are. Can you do that?" Albus asked, allowing his eyes to twinkle in a merry way in an attempt to break the solemn mood.

"Yes we can," Hermione stated fiercely. She wasn't ready to loose her friend or the influence she always had had over him. She would find a way to get him back, no matter what the cost.

"Thank you. Now I think it is time for you to return to your common room, it is almost curfew after all."

"Yes sir. Um, you wouldn't by any chance know of a spell to fix my hair?" Hermione asked hopefully, surely Dumbledore would be able to do something even if Pomfrey wasn't.

"I'm afraid not Miss Granger. That portrait is Salazar Slytherin. All you can do is wait for the spell to wear off on its own."

Hermione made a face and bid the Headmaster goodnight.

Dumbledore watched them leave, deep in thought. It would seem things were turning out a bit more complicated than he'd figured they would. He knew Harry was angry with him for the way he had handled things last year, but really, holding a grudge for this long? He had after all, apologised to the child. Sighing deeply Albus picked up a lemon drop and turned it around, and around. Something had to be done and quickly before the situation deteriorated even more.

Taking a cautious lick, he plopped the sweet into his mouth and settled down to plot.

**Day Seven - Sunday**

Harry woke late the next morning. Considering he'd been having trouble sleeping, it was no surprise. Not in the mood to wake up just yet he lay there, eyes closed, savouring the softness of his bed. It was something he still was getting used to, even after all these years at Hogwarts; waking up to the feel of a soft mattress and warm non-scratchy covers. Would he ever get use to such simple pleasures?

Would he forever be marked by his childhood?

Not wanting to dwell on such depressing thoughts - he had enough problems as it was and had no wish to dwell on the past - Harry climbed out of bed and into the shower. He was in dire need of a distraction!

"Good morning love, slept well?" Draco asked when Harry stumbled into the living room, towelling his still wet hair.

"Morning Draco. Yeah, I slept all right. At least I didn't suffer from any nightmares," he shrugged, settling at the table and the breakfast that was waiting for him, warming charms keeping it fresh and warm for him. Harry gave Draco a grateful look and started eating.

"So, what do you want to do today?" Draco asked causally, watching Harry eat with a pleased smile. Lucius had told him everything he'd found out while Harry slept on the couch. It had angered him that such a sweet and gentle soul as Harry had been made to suffer so, and he longed to hex Dumbledore, but good, for allowing it to happen.

His father had brought him back to earth though and together they had worked out a plan to make sure Harry was well taken care of and Draco had promised to make sure that his mate ate properly. Thinking back, Draco was forced to conclude that Harry had never eaten as much as he had during their week together. Whatever feelings the brunet had for him, he truly didn't see Draco as a threat and was far more relaxed with him than he'd been with Granger and that Weasel in years.

Considering the confrontation between the three of them, it didn't surprise him. Had those little twits really gone behind their friends back and spilled his secrets to the Headmaster? And people called Slytherins backstabbers?

"Go riding for a bit I guess. I still need to finish the homework for Potions, Healing, and Forgotten Arts. That reminds me, would you mind checking through my essays for Charms and Transfigurations?"

"Not at all, especially if you'd look through mine?"

Harry nodded in agreement and speared a last sausage, popping into his mouth. Sending the leftovers back to the kitchen, he grabbed a cloak and headed outside with Draco.

They had just reached the Entrance Hall when Dumbledore called out to them, halting their progress.

"Harry, do you have a moment?"

Knowing it wasn't a question Harry stopped and turned around, offering the Headmaster a weak smile. "Sir."

"I need to speak with you Harry for a moment. Would you come with me to my office?"

Harry nodded and followed the aged wizard, smiling slightly when Draco planted himself at his side.

Dumbledore led the way to his office, not looking pleased when Draco followed them and settled into the only chair available. With a suffering sigh, Albus conjured a second seat and settled in his own chair. Both boys noted that he did not offer them a lemon drop as was his custom.

"Harry, I have decided to allow you to lead the D.A. in spite of you not taking D.A.D.A. I would feel better if you took that subject, but as Mr. Malfoy said I can not force you to enrol in that class."

"Good, because I'm not taking it!" Harry stated, ignoring the disappointed look sent his way.

"Then there is the matter of your meals. I have been a bit lax these past few days, but I want you to start eating in the Great Hall again. You are to alternate between sitting at the Gryffindor table and the Slytherin one. You are now both members of both houses and it is time to see past your silly feuds."

Harry snorted. "It isn't me you need to preach to, but your precious Gryffindors. Did you know Ron almost physically attacked Draco last Friday? He certainly laid in on him verbally, accusing him of being a slimy snake and a Malfoy, whatever he meant by the last.

"On top of that, Hermione visited us yesterday as I am sure you are well aware of. Did you also know she begged me to come back to the Gryffindor tower and return to being 'their' Harry? Or did she leave that part of her report out?" Harry asked snidely, glaring at the Headmaster.

"I will not subject Draco to such nonsense. We will try to eat more often in the Great Hall, but you will not dictate where we will sit. If the Gryffindors can't look beyond the past, then it is their problem, not mine. I am through making excuses for who I am and who my friends are."

"Harry," Albus said, gently rebuking the agitated teen. "Hermione isn't reporting to me. She is your friend and I know she is concerned for you. She only wants what is the best for you."

"You really need to make up your mind sir. When I found out that I was Draco's chosen mate, you were very pleased with this fact. You even told me this was a chance to get both Malfoys over on your side. What happened? Have a change of heart?" Harry sneered, ignoring the twin gasps of dismay and outrage.

"Did he really say that to you?" Draco demanded.

Harry nodded, never taking his eyes off the old wizard, "Implied that if I was accommodating enough it would strike a bad blow for old Voldie, losing both his right hand man and his son. Quite a coup wouldn't you say? What happened, too much of an outcry from the public about the Golden Boy going Dark? Why are you trying to form a wedge between me and Malfoys?"

"I am doing no such thing Harry. Moreover, I resent that you try to paint me in an unfavourable light. I said no such thing to you. What I did was encourage your friends to support you while you get to know young Draco here better. I had no idea they'd said such things to you, but can you really blame them? You have changed Harry. I am not saying that it is bad, but you are not the same boy you used to be. Added to that, is the fact that you've spent most of your time with Draco and I am sure you can see where their concern comes from."

Harry clenched his jaw in an attempt to reign in his temper. "And I say again that you need to straighten out your priorities. Either I am to accept that I am the mate of a Veela, or I'm to reject it, make up your bloody mind. What did you expect me to do? Spend as little time with Draco as possible? Knowing it would slowly drive him out of his mind? Am I to spend my evenings in the Gryffindor tower as if nothing has changed, subjecting him to jibes and jeers from those who can't see past the emblem on his robe? Tell me, Headmaster, what is it you want me to do?" Harry almost shouted coming out of his chair, unable to hold still any longer.

Draco rose as well and put a calming hand on his mate's shoulder. He could feel the magic crackling in the air and unless one of them backed down, things would get ugly.

"I am well aware of the needs of a Veela Harry, and I am happy that you are dealing with the situation as well as you do. But there is no need for you to forget your real friends. You need them Harry, whether you realise it or not. I strongly urge you to spend more time with them, I am positive young Draco here will understand that. I have therefore banished your horses; you will spend the time you used on them to be with your friends."

"You did _what_?" Harry asked outraged.

"Really Harry, the school does not allow for any other pets than owls, cats, and toads. It is not fair on the other students that you are gallivanting around on horses when they can't have one, is it? And I would not believe it of you to use your status to make Hagrid tend to those mounts of yours."

"All I did was to transfigure a rock into a horse," Harry said tightly. "If anyone else wanted to do the same, they were free to do so. I didn't end the transfiguration at the end of the day because I wanted to perform an experiment. I didn't ask, beg, or bribe Hagrid to tend to them. He offered, I accepted. If he hadn't, I would have tended to them myself." He shook his head.

"It is sad you know? For five years, no make that four years, you've been my mentor, and still you don't know me better than that. I guess you can't see past the scar either," Harry said sadly. "Was there something else you wanted?"

"No, not at this time, consider what I've said Harry. I am sure you will do the right thing."

Harry snorted, but didn't comment. He merely gave the Headmaster a dark look and swept out of the office.

HPDM

Both Severus and Lucius looked up in surprise, breaking off their discussion, when the portrait to Severus' rooms was opened with a bang. They were even more astonished when a grim faced and obviously furious Harry Potter marched inside, closely followed by Draco.

"Lucius, Severus, may I see your Dark Mark please?" Harry asked not really waiting for an answer. He merely grabbed the arm of the man closest to him and pulled up the sleeve. Pulling at the arm, he brought it to eyelevel and glared at the snake and the skull.

"Potter, unhand me this instance!" Severus snapped, unnerved by the strange behaviour of the normally meek teenager.

"Hush! I'm trying to listen," Harry replied tilting his head to the side. Turning the arm he was holding this way and that, he closely watched the magic of the tattoo. Hissing a question at the snake he watched in fascination as it came to life and hissed back. The three people with him startled and stared at Harry who oblivious to his surroundings had a deep discussion with the snake tattoo.

"Right, I know how to get rid of that mark now. It will take some time and you will need to brew a few potions, but it shouldn't be difficult."

Severus just stared at him while Lucius drew a sharp breath. "What do we need to do?" he asked in a strangled voice.

"You need to brew the Sanastosia Potion mentioned in Helga's book. You will need quite a lot. Then you need to fast for three days and perform a cleansing ritual to clear your magic and your aura as much as possible. You will then immense yourself completely in the potion, and stay submerged for at least 6 hours. After that, the invading magic will be easy to see and I will pull it out of you. Since Voldie used Parseltongue when he created that mark, only a Parselmouth will be able to remove it. It is really quite clever. He used the spirit of a real snake and entrapped it in that tattoo; the skull is acting as an anchor. The origin of the magic he is using is from America. The native Indians used it to call on the Spirit World to ask for guidance. They used the spirit of their totem and afterwards it was set free, it was never meant to be used like this. But since he is using the spirit of an actual snake, he is able to command the tattoo in a way he otherwise couldn't, like making it hurt when he summons his followers. He really is quite sadistic. It also enables him to always know where each and everyone of you are, and it also gives him an inkling of how loyal those people are to him. I'm sorry Severus, but he's probably known of your dubious status for quite a while now - especially since he's spent so long as a kind of spirit himself," Harry said almost apologetically.

"That's it! You are not going back there!" Lucius ordered agitatedly, scared out of his mind that he would lose his true mate now that they were so close to getting free.

"I promise I won't return to him," Severus said, shaken. "But what will we tell Albus?"

"Not a thing!" Harry stated harshly. "That old fool doesn't deserve your loyalty. He is just as bad as Riddle and you have paid more than your due to him and to the Wizarding World. We both have. Start brewing that potion and ignore everything else that is my advice."

"What happened?" Lucius asked in concern, Harry wasn't normally this obvious with his dislike of someone.

"Dumbledore happened," Draco snorted. When it became obvious that Harry wasn't going to tell them the blond did, recounting everything that had been said not long ago.

"That bastard!" Severus hissed. "That's it. I am going to make sure I have enough of the ingredients I need. Luce, could you go to Diagon Alley tomorrow and get what's missing?"

Lucius nodded his agreement. The sooner they broke free from the bonds holding them down the better, for all of them. Besides, he needed to set in motion the process of disentangling himself from his 'darling' wife. Narcissa would not be pleased and she would fight him with everything she had. Unfortunately for her, once he bonded with Severus any and all contracts and agreements she'd made with his father would become worthless and devoid any legal statue. She would leave the marriage with exactly the same things she had when she entered it. If he felt generous that day, he might allow her to keep her clothes and jewellery. After all, they were of no use to him. But then again, he or Draco might have a daughter or two and at least the baubles would amuse them.

Narcissa couldn't even use Draco as a means to stay in the arranged marriage since he was now 16 and an adult in the eyes of Veela law. The fact that he was in the middle of wooing a mate of his own would only strengthen the fact that he was now an adult and no longer in need of his mother, freeing Lucius from the binds his father had put on him.

It was no easy feat to override a Veela's mating instinct. But it could be done if someone got pregnant with their child before they had bonded with their true Mate. His father, curse the man, had used that fact and somehow made Narcissa pregnant. Lucius to this day had no idea how the man had managed it, he sure as hell had never slept with the witch and he'd felt no desire to do so during their seventeen years of marriage. But Draco was now an adult and the protecting urges toward his child that had bound him to Narcissa were growing less intense and weaker each day. With Severus free to bond with him, they would be able to break the last of the compulsion with ease.

Lucius blinked to clear his eyes from the rising tears. He would soon be free. A moment he had longed for, for seventeen long years, but never truly dared to believe would come. Free. Free to be with the man that he loved and adored. Free. What a lovely word. Free.

* * *

**Next Time:**  
Our boys spend a quiet Sunday afternoon together.  
Stay tuned… 


	23. A Quiet Sunday Afternoon

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

**A/N:** Updates might be somewhat slow in the near future. For one I have kind of written myself into a corner and I need to re-read what I have written to find out where I went wrong and fix it, which might probably take some time. Second, I have begun to re-post the earliest chapters since they were in desperate need of Beta work.

I am in NO way or shape abandoning this story! Do not worry, it will be done, I just might have to slow down the update-pace a little.

Thank you to Keikokin for being my Beta for this chapter. Please note that a part of this story has not been checked by her, any mistakes are my own.

* * *

**A Quiet Sunday Afternoon **

"Greetings, what are you doing inside on such a fine day?" Lucius asked stepping through the portrait hole. He had been surprised when the necklace informed him that the two boys were in their rooms.

Harry had left shortly after he'd dropped his little bombshell, Draco going with him. Lucius had stayed for a while longer, but when Severus immersed himself in research of the potion they needed he had decided to leave. If you disturbed the Potions Master when he was working, your health was definitely in peril. Lucius had no wishes to get additions to his body thank you very much, or have his current limbs changed into strange colours and/or shapes.

Besides, he needed to make sure that Harry had calmed down after his meeting with that fool Albus.

Harry looked up from where he was sitting, a bowl of beans beside him. "Hello Lucius, I'm working on extracting revenge and trying to think up something to do for the Forgotten Art's class. What do you think of a statue of the Dark Lord in his full glory?"

"Umm, maybe you should try and do something less... violent and... gory. I don't think that was what the Professor had in mind when he told you to be creative."

"Pity," Harry said with a straight face. Then he broke into a fit of giggles, leaving father and son to shake their heads at his antics.

Harry went back to bespelling his beans, using an old spell he'd found in one of the journals from the Black library. The only drawback was that they had to be bespelled individually, or they could be traced back to him and that was something he wasn't ready for yet. He wanted to aggravate Dumbledore, make his life hell for a while as he had done to Harry, but he wasn't ready to openly defy the old man. He was still too vulnerable for such an occurrence, hence why he was spelling several dozens of beans one by one.

Glancing up, he couldn't help but smile. Lucius and Draco were sitting side by side on one of the couches, talking about something. The atmosphere in the room was cosy and inviting and he knew that if he wanted to, he was welcome to join them. They honestly wanted to be with him, spend time with him. To them he wasn't a burden, or a chore. They actually, genuinely, cared for him.

Finishing off the last few beans Harry created a pouch and put them in it. He would seek out his potential ally later tonight and hopefully there would be chaos tomorrow morning. Harry grinned, he couldn't wait.

Leaning back and stretching, Harry considered what to do next. He wasn't in the mood to work on his essays or read. He longed to join the two blonds, but they were having a serious discussion about something and he didn't want to intrude until they'd finished.

Pulling one of the 'toothpicks' from his pocket Harry resized it and stared at it with a pensive look. For once he actually _wanted_ to show off in class and he had no idea what to make.

Letting his gaze wander around the room his eyes fell on an open book Draco had been leafing through. There was a picture of one of the constellations and suddenly an image jumped into his mind. Rushing into his room Harry went to the small bookshelf in the corner and he searched the books almost frantically. He had gathered all his school books there, including the ones from his Astronomy classes. _There should be a detailed sketch in one of them of the night sky_, he thought.

Finding the book he needed Harry returned to the living room, never noticing the curious looks he got from the other two. Opening the book at the appropriate page, Harry committed to memory the layout of the stars and the correct placement of all the constellations. Cutting the log in half, he placed the tip of his wand on one half and uttered the spell. When he opened his eyes again, a sphere was resting on the table and on it was the entire night sky, the stars standing out in relief.

"Wow it is beautiful," Draco said with awe, having walked over to where the brunet was sitting, gingerly picking the sphere up.

"Yes it is. You did an excellent job on that Harry," Lucius nodded taking the globe from his son's hands. Glancing over at Harry he added sternly "But no more magic for you young man; not for an hour or two. Unless you wish to end up like Draco did, in the hospital wing? Under the tender mercies of Madame Pomfrey?" he added seeing the mutinous look on the boy's face.

Harry shook his head vigorously 'no'. He had had enough of the hospital wing to last him a lifetime thank you very much.

"I thought you'd see things my way," Lucius said smugly, putting the sphere back on the table. "You should use a sliver of wood and create a grand stand for that one. Later that is," he added to be on the safe side.

Harry picked up his creation and looked it over. If he painted the globe dark blue and made the stars white or yellow, maybe he could charm them to twinkle? Perhaps if he used glass or something instead of wood, it just might be possible to make it a nightlight, a rather cool nightlight. Feeling the first stirrings of a vague idea forming, Harry was startled from his thoughts as Draco said, "I don't know about you, but I could do with a snack."

Looking up at the blond with a fond smile Harry nodded his head in agreement. Now that the subject had been brought up, he found that he felt a little peckish as well.

HPDM

The atmosphere during the meal was light and filled with banter between father and son. Lucius told several amusing tales of things Draco had done as a child and Harry was in stitches when he pictured in his mind a blue baby boy who stubbornly refused to change back.

Lucius and Draco exchanged smug looks over Harry's head. They had both worried about the brunet after his disastrous meeting with Dumbledore, and it was a delight to hear him laugh himself silly. Especially considering how utterly furious he had been when he stormed into Severus' chamber.

Harry for his part couldn't remember the last time he had enjoyed a meal this much. His earlier anger was all but forgotten, and although a small part of his mind was busy plotting revenge on the Headmaster, he did not allow it to consume him.

When the leftovers from the tea was sent back to the kitchen, Harry felt more relaxed than he had in ages. Getting up from the table, his eyes landed on the sphere he'd made earlier and Harry walked over to it and picked it up. Remembering his vague notion, he paused, tilting his head to one side.

Looking over to where his companions were settling down in front of the fireplace, Harry thought back to the idea he'd had during the summer. He still thought it was a good one, but if he was to realise it, he'd need help.

Toying with the sphere, throwing it lightly from hand to hand, Harry thought back on the past week. The Malfoys had been nothing like their public persona. On the contrary, they had done everything they could to make Harry as comfortable as possible in the new situation he'd been thrown into. So far they had never lied to him, or attempted to manipulate him. They had given him straight answers, and never pressured him into making the decisions they wanted him to make, leaving it utterly up to him to decide what he wanted to do. Surely he could trust them to give him an honest opinion? Especially if he asked them to?

"Harry? Is something wrong?" Draco asked with a hint of concern. He had watched for several minutes how his mate was fighting some inner battle and he was getting worried. Harry wasn't contemplating dropping him was he? The brunet's life would get much easier with no Malfoys in it. Draco had never dreamed that him declaring Harry as his mate would cause such a ruckus, and he was getting more and more worried for each day that Harry would grow tired of the hassle and leave him to his fate.

Harry looked over at the Veela and gave him a reassuring smile, surprised at the fear he could see in the depth of those silvery eyes. Shrugging his shoulders, Harry tried to explain. "Nothing is wrong per se, I'm just trying to make up my mind on something."

Not realising that Draco was interpretation his words completely wrong, Harry ambled over to where the two blonds were sitting, still toying nervously with the sphere. "If I were to ask your opinion on something, would you give me an honest answer?"

"Of course," Lucius nodded, wrapping an arm around his son, hoping to stem the panic attack he could sense building within the teen. "Neither Draco nor I would ever lie to you Harry. We would do our best not to hurt your feelings, but if we think you are wrong, we will tell you so."

Harry searched Lucius' eyes for a moment, looking for deceit. Finding no such thing, he nodded once, giving the aristocrat a tentative smile. "Thank you. Would you mind taking a look at an idea I've been toying with during the summer? I think it could really work, but then, I'm no expert at the wizarding world so I could be wrong."

"It would be our pleasure," Lucius nodded, giving the teen what he hoped was a reassuring smile. Whatever the idea was, it clearly meant a lot to the boy, and Lucius could only hope that he truthfully could give his support to whatever the project was. He was not about to go back on his word though, and give false praise.

"Thank you. Wait here, I'll be right back," Harry said, hurrying into his room. Making sure the door was closed before he removed the armband, he waited impatiently for it to change into a trunk.

Climbing inside, Harry swiftly walked to the library and the small table standing against one of the walls, and the stack of beautifully inlaid boxes sitting on it. Picking one of them up, Harry opened it briefly to make sure he had picked the right one. Hugging it close to his chest, Harry hesitated briefly - was he doing the right thing? Did he dare share his dream? But both Malfoys had proven themselves to be trustworthy up till now, hadn't they? Besides, if he didn't dare share this, how would he dare sharing his bigger secrets? Making up his mind once and for all, Harry nodded once to himself with decision and turned to head back outside.

Returning to the living room, Harry settled next to Draco, noting that the look of fear was still present and the frowned slightly. "Draco, is something wrong?"

Draco did his best to appear nonchalant. "No, I'm just curious about your idea."

Harry gave him a searching look, then he shook his head. "If that was it, then you wouldn't be this scared. What happened? Did I do something wrong?"

Forgetting his own worries, Draco wrapped his arms around his mate and did his best to reassure him. "No. No, you didn't do _anything_ wrong so stop worrying this instance," he ordered.

"Then what is wrong?" Harry asked in a low voice, not feeling reassured at all. For Draco to be this on edge, it had to be something big, not to mention something very bad.

Draco sighed, he didn't feel comfortable talking about his fears. Unfortunately, he had a feeling that Harry would take it wrong if he tried to just shrug it off. The other boy was far too perceptive at times, which was surprising considering how utterly dense he could be at other times.

"I'm worried about how long it will be before you decide your life would be easier without me in it," Draco eventually said with a sad sigh.

Harry pulled away. "What?" he could only stammer, feeling utterly flummoxed.

"If it wasn't for me, you would still be friends with Ron and Hermione. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have Dumbledore at your back, making your life difficult…"

"Now you listen to me Draco Malfoy! Never, _ever_, think that again, you hear!" Harry burst out in outrage.

"But…"

"But nothing! Yes, me being your mate has accelerated the break-up, but considering what happened this summer, our friendship would have fallen apart anyway. Ronald Weasley is a small minded prat who for all his skills at strategy, can't see past his own nose. As for Hermione," Harry shook his head somewhat sadly. "I don't know what happened to her, but I think the fight at the Department of Mystery really shook her up. She acted really weird afterwards and considering…" he abruptly broke off, not ready to get into that.

"As for Albus Dumbledore, he is a manipulative son of a bitch, and after the way he treated me last year, there was no way I would still follow him blindly. Yes, I'm mad as hell at him, and no, you had nothing to do with that. I would still have refused to be his puppet. In fact, being with you has made things much easier, since I am no longer fighting this battle alone. So don't you dare think that I'm about to leave you, just because things are difficult at the moment. On the contrary, you had better get used to it. Things always seems to get complicated when I'm around," Harry said, with a touch of sadness in his voice at the end, as his anger deflating somewhat.

Draco pulled Harry into another hug, whishing he could remove that sadness. He was also getting immensely curious about what the hell had happened during the summer, but that was a conversation for another day.

Yet for the most part he was almost giddy with relief. Harry was planning on standing by him! He wasn't even contemplating the notion of letting him go. To the Veela the relief was immense and Draco found himself relaxing in the embrace as the fears left him.

HPDM

"What was it you wanted to share with us?" Lucius asked sometime later, when the tender moment between the two boys had ended and they were once more sitting side by side.

Harry looked over at Lucius and felt all his earlier nervousness return with a vengeance. This was it, the moment of truth. He had been thinking on and off about this ever since he'd given his winnings to the twins to start their shop. He hadn't spent any real time on his idea though, until this summer when he was desperate for any and all distractions. He was pretty sure he had a good and solid idea, but what if the others thought he was foolish?

"Harry?" Draco asked with some concern, sensing from his mate's scent that he was getting more and more agitated.

"All right, this is probably a stupid idea, but... how difficult and expensive is it to set up a shop?"

"A shop?" Draco echoed aloud, voicing his father's thought.

"Yeah, a shop. I know I gave the twins 1000 Galleons for their joke shop, but it must cost more than that, doesn't it?"

"It all depends on what type of shop you wish to have; how expensive the inventory is, and how easy it is to sell."

Harry tilted his head to the side and considered the answer. "What if you opened up a new sweet shop?"

"Sweet?" Draco echoed once more.

"Um-hum," Harry nodded with enthusiasm. "Think about it Draco. What types of sweets are there in the wizarding world? Chocolate frogs, liquorice wands, Bertie Botts Every-Flavour Bean, cauldron cakes... they've been around for years. I mean, Ron's parents ate the same candy we do when they were young, for Merlin's sake! I know you look down on all things muggle, but they constantly create new things. Each year they come out with new types of sweets and ice creams. New flavours are constantly invented. It got me thinking, why don't we do that in the wizarding world? So I began to toy with a few ideas for new sweets and chocolates, and, well, this is a few of my ideas." Harry said a bit nervously, opening his box.

Inside the box were dozens of scrolls, if not more, and in one corner was a second box that Harry carefully pulled out.

"Take the chocolate frogs for example. They have cards of important wizards and witches. I guess that is important, after all, we wouldn't have been able to figure out what was hidden at Hogwarts during my first year if it wasn't for me getting Dumbledore's card on the train here. But if it is something this world is crazy about, it's Quidditch. It got me thinking; why not create chocolate figures in the shape of famous Quidditch players, riding on a broom of caramel? One could charm the broom, so the player flew around the room until the broom was broken and then you could eat it as regular chocolate. In addition, inside the box there could be a card of the player for the eater to collect. I made a few prototypes, what do you think?" he asked eagerly pulling three miniature figures from the box, enlarging them with a softly spoken charm.

Intrigued, Lucius picked one of them up and examined it from every angle. The figure was amazingly life-like and he thought he recognized one of the beaters for the Chudley Cannons. Rising an eyebrow, he sent a reproving look at Harry. "Don't tell me you are a fan of that deplorable team, Harry. They haven't had an acceptable season in years!"

Harry snorted a laugh. "I don't, but Ron does. He has given me several of their posters and since I don't know any other teams, I had to take what I had. Here, I put my ideas down on one of these scrolls," he added looking through them swiftly, holding one out to Lucius.

Putting the figure down, Lucius accepted the scroll and read through it. The boy had obviously put a lot of thought into his idea, and the plans were very detailed and well organized. It was clear he had no idea how to make the chocolate, or how to get the charms to work for what he wanted, but then he was still in school and not a Charms Master.

"It is doable, very doable. The difficult part would be to get the teams to agree, but I think they would be rather interested. Your idea is new and fresh, not to mention different. What else have you thought up?" he asked passing the scroll over to his son who eagerly snatched it up.

"This is bloody brilliant Harry! I'm actually surprised no one else has thought of it before. I'm with Dad, what else is there? Have you got anything with dragons?" Draco asked waggling his eyebrows electing a chuckle from his mate.

Flushed by the praise, Harry showed them. Scroll after scroll was examined, along with the prototype Harry had created, using his beloved beans. Cats, dogs, phoenixes, dragons, griffins, snakes, magical and non-magical animals, all done in a cute style, and most of them with detailed plans for how to animate them. With the figures would come a card that told of the animal, its magical proportions, and other facts Harry had figured was important.

"This way the children could learn about the animals in their world in a fun way. An early Care of Magical Creatures education, if you like. That should appeal to the parents and the kids would have something more to collect if they wanted to. If it is a success we could include more rare and/or mythical beasts, but I figured it was best to start with animals that are the most recognised."

Draco nodded, examining a small figure. It was a dragon sitting in a bathtub, playing with the bubbles. "Where did you get the idea for this!" he asked unable to take his eyes off the cute little thing.

Harry blushed. "In the muggle world there are a lot of knickknacks, portraying animals like dragons and frogs and such. Many are made for fun, like that one, and not really meant to be realistic at all. It was just an idea, I can toss it if you think it is stupid," he said getting even redder out of embarrassment.

"It's not stupid Harry. It is actually very sweet and I've never seen anything like it. Are you going to make the whole thing out of chocolate?"

"No, I was thinking of making the dragon out of that, but have the tub made of caramel or something, in different flavours. You know, apple, orange, and cherry, the taste depending on the colour of the bubble bath. You really like it? You aren't just saying that because I'm your mate or something?"

Draco slid closer to the brunet and enveloped him in a gentle hug. "I really, really think it is a wonderful idea Harry. I would never do anything to hurt you, but I'm not going to falsely praise you either, not when I know you are counting on me to give my honest opinion. These things you've thought up, they are incredible. They are... actually, I haven't got words to describe how wonderful I think they are, not to mention how wonderful you are. If you opened a shop with this inventory, I guarantee you'd be a success within the first ten minutes. Right Dad?"

"Indeed. Your ideas are refreshing and well thought out. Your prototypes are endearing and appealing and I know just the man to ask for assistance when it comes to hiring the one skilled with potions. I am sure Flitwick knows someone skilled with charms that needs a job as well." Lucius agreed.

Harry peeked at the older Malfoy through his lashes. "You really think it could work? How much do you think it would cost to set it all up?"

"Yes, I really think it will work. As for the cost, I'd say you need to be prepared to invest

10, 000 Galleons. You will need a substantial stock of each figure. It will take a few months to build that up. As well, it will take a few weeks at least to create the moulds and make sure the charms work properly. You might have to invent or at the very least modify a few charms to get them to work as you wish. Then there is the printing of the cards, the packing of the sweets. You need to hire at least four people who need to be paid during this time, and then there is the cost of the shop."

Harry's face fell. "I'll never be able to do all that. I knew this was a stupid idea," he muttered, beginning to put the scrolls away. He knew he had a lot of money in his vault still, but it was supposed to support him for years yet. 10, 000 Galleons was a lot of money to risk on something that very likely would fall flat on its face; if he even could withdraw such a large sum. He was well aware there were limits to his spendings, placed there by his parents and by Dumbledore, and he was fairly certain 10 000 was beyond what he was allowed.

"No Harry, it isn't. And no one is expecting you to do this all on your own," Lucius said gently, taking hold of the fluttering hands. "That is why we have solicitors and business managers and (That is) why we will ask Severus and Flitwick for recommendations on people who will be able to do the job, saving us the time to shift through all the unskilled ones who'd apply for the job if we advertised in the paper. This is quite feasible and I'd be delighted to help you sort out the details."

"Thank you sir, this means... I can't tell you how much this means to me." Harry whispered, scrubbing furiously at his eyes, refusing to start crying over something like this.

"All this talk has given me a severe craving for sweets. Got any more boxes you want sorted?" Draco asked earning himself a chuckle from his mate. He had been serious. His mouth was literary watering at the thought of trying out a few of Harry's ideas. Forced to make do with what there was, he would settle to nibble on a few beans.

"What are you going to call the shop and would it be possible for me to buy a few shares? I'd make a bloody fortune in no time at all," Draco said cheerfully, accepting the large box filled with smaller boxes of Bertie Botts. "Hey, how many of these did you buy?"

"50. I thought of naming the shop 'Orion', in memory of Sirius, and would you really want to buy shares in my business?"

"Wow! What do you need that many for? I like the name, it isn't obvious but to those in the know. And you bet I'd invest in a shop selling sweets!" Draco said popping a green bean into his mouth. "Mmm, mint ice cream."

"What do you think Lucius?"

"I think the name is a good choice. Especially if we made the sign in dark blue or possibly midnight blue and the letters in the shape of bright yellow stars. That will catch the eye of the public and that's important. As for the shares, unless you are offended by the offer, I'd be honoured to invest in this adventure with you."

Harry tilted his head to the side as he thought. He knew absolutely nothing about starting a shop, or running one for that matter, or even how to invest in one. He knew the twins were doing well and that they'd been setting a side a small amount of Galleons into his vault each quarter that came from their shop. Neither of them had mentioned it and Harry had a feeling they never would. If it was their way to payback the money he'd given them, or if it was his share as their 'investor', he didn't know and he found he didn't want to know. All he cared about was that the twins were doing fine. Moreover, since they were a huge success, he was happy for them and that was that.

"I don't mind at all. But are you sure you want to risk that much money?" Harry asked, wanting to be absolutely sure the other man wasn't doing this to be kind.

Lucius allowed a small smile to show. "Yes Harry, I am absolutely sure. Your idea is good and I think it is about time that Honeydukes got some competition." He decided not to mention that he spent far more money than what this would cost him investing in new companies each year. He didn't want to belittle the boy and since his idea really was that good... _Merlin, his self__- esteem must be lower than dirt when it comes to pushing his own ideas forward. Draco will have his work cut out for him, that's for sure._

"In fact, if you ever get any more ideas, show me and I promise to do my best to make them come true. I promise I will never lie to you. And neither will Severus," he added suddenly remembering the chessmen. "In fact, how about we find out if the Loreleis are interested in your idea for a new chess set?"

"The Loreleis?" Harry asked confused.

"Yes, the leading company for making chess sets. They even create and sell sets for the muggle market."

"I don't mind, as long as you don't tell them who made the figures. At least not until after they have decided if they wanted them or not. I don't want people accepting my ideas because of my name."

"I understand and I'll make sure they'll keep their mouths shut."

Harry smiled bleakly. "Thanks."

Feeling emotionally drained Harry leaned back on the couch, watching as Lucius went through the rest of the scrolls, showing those that particularly caught his eye to his son. Draco eagerly looked through them when he wasn't sorting beans, grumbling under his breath that it wasn't nice to tease. Harry never noticed when he dozed off to sleep, or when Draco draped a blanket over his slumbering form with a gentle smile.

HPDM

Later that night, Harry was back inside his trunk searching for a particular book. He had managed to put his anger aside while he had been with the Malfoys, not wanting the Headmaster to destroy his downtime with the blonds, but he had neither forgotten or forgiven what the old man had done.

"So Hogwarts only sanction toads, cats, and owls huh? What about Ron's pet rat eh? What about Lee Jordan's spider? You didn't complain about them, did you? You know, I was going to let bygones be bygones, after I had played few well-placed pranks of course, but this is going too far. Way too far. What have I ever done to you? Damn you to the deepest hell Albus Dumbledore!" Harry shouted not caring if the sound carried topside or not. All his earlier anger came crashing down on him and it was all he could do not to destroy the room he was standing in.

Dropping the glamour, Harry quickly went to the next room where a lush conservatory was situated. Breathing in the smells of damp soil, fragrant leaves and the aroma of delicate flowers, Harry felt his anger die down to a more manageable level. Closing his eyes, he just revelled in being alive, allowing the peace of this place soothe him.

Harry had no idea how long he had been standing there when he finally opened his eyes again. He didn't really care about the time either, if it was too late he could always use the time-turner. Feeling in control of himself and his emotions, the teen returned to the library and this time he quickly located the book he needed.

Settling at a workstation, Harry gently traced the leather cover with a smirk on his face. So, Dumbledore wanted to play tough guy? Thinking that if he only put his foot down, Harry would meekly back off and do as he was told. Well, it was time the Headmaster realised that Harry Potter was his own man, and that once you had lost his trust it was gone for good.

His eyes glittering with suppressed glee and fury, Harry settled down to write a proposal for a project for extra credit in Transfiguration. He just knew McGonagall would be unable to turn it down. With her backing him, there was no way in hell Dumbledore would be able to stop him. If the old man had objections to a couple of horses, what would he have to say about his precious school run over with pets of all forms and shapes? Chuckling softly at the thought, Harry put his mind to writing the best proposal he could.

HPDM

It was just after one o'clock at night when Harry snuck out from their private rooms safely hidden under his invisibility cloak, map in hand, having made sure Draco was fast asleep. He was going to hunt down a poltergeist. Harry knew Draco would be miffed for being excluded on this joke as well, but at least he would be there to see the effects this time.

On silent feet, the brunet made his way towards the trophy room. Why Peeves would want to spend his time there was beyond Harry, since the Headmaster had made sure that the poltergeist couldn't mess with the display cases.

"Psst, Peeves," Harry hissed, when he'd located the poltergeist, allowing the hood of his cloak to fall back, exposing his head. "Peeves, I need your help."

Peeves halted mid-summersault and looked at Harry while hanging upside down in midair. "Why would ickle Potter need my help?" he eventually asked, righting himself.

"Because I want to play a prank on the teachers and only you could set it up," Harry whispered, wishing the ghost would keep his voice down.

"Ohhh, a prank? What? What? What?" Peeves asked eagerly bouncing around the room.

Harry hurriedly outlined his plan and handed over the pouch with the bespelled beans. Peeves cackled with glee and zoomed away, swatting Filch on the head as he past by the squib in the doorway. Harry had barely time to pull the hood back over his head before he sprinted from the room, not eager to serve detention for being out after curfew.

Pleased with what he had accomplished, Harry slid into bed and quickly fell asleep, still wearing a smug smirk.

In his bed, Draco turned over and grumbled in his sleep. His mate was up to something again. He better share or else! Falling into a deeper slumber, he smiled softly as he dreamt of him and Harry on a tropical beach, sunbathing in the nude. This was more like it. His grin deepened when Harry stretched, very much like a cat causing Draco to wonder about his mate's animagus form, asking the blond to put some lotion on his back. Draco eagerly complied and before he lost himself in the dream completely, he spared a thought that if Harry came and woke him up _this_ time, mate or not, Draco would hex him but good!

* * *

**Next time:**  
Harry pranks the school to Dumbledore's annoyance.  
Stay tuned… 


	24. Time For Payback II

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

**A/N**: I'm back. Kind of. Hopefully the updates will be back to once a week, but I'm not making any promises.

Thank you Vaughn for doing the Beta on this chapter.

* * *

**Time For Payback II **

**Monday #2 **

"Okay, what did you do last night and why didn't you invite me to come along?" Draco grumbled when he heard Harry enter the room, his attention firmly focused on his book. Looking up, he had to bite his lip not to drool. Harry was dressed in dark charcoal coloured trousers and vest, setting off the ensemble nicely with a deep yellow velvet turtleneck. His mate looked delicious and his book lost any of its appeal at the comparison.

"Draco? Are you alright?" Harry asked, a bit unsure, worried by the glazed look in the Veela's eyes.

"You are not going out looking like that!" Draco suddenly exploded, coming to his feet.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, not believing his ears.

"Have you any idea how desirable you look dressed like that? It was bad enough when you were dressed in your black leathers with that green shirt! This is ten times worse and I am not going to have people lusting after my mate!" Draco all but shouted.

Harry took a step back. "Are you alright? Do you want me to get Lucius? You obviously aren't felling well."

"It is you who are oblivious. Don't you know how desirable you are? How attractive and sexy you have become? I won't have others drooling all over you! Change your clothes, or at the very least put a robe on! A loose robe!" Draco ordered, advancing on his mate.

Harry gave the irate Veela an incredulous look before fleeing, slamming the door to his bedroom shut and warding it just to be on the safe side. Grabbing the pendant around his neck, he called, a bit panicky, "Lucius, can you hear me?"

"What's wrong, Harry?" Lucius asked in concern, picking up on Draco's agitation and Harry's panic.

"It's Draco. Something's wrong with him, he's acting all weird. Complaining about my bloody clothes and not making one lick of sense. Can you come over?"

"I'm on my way," Lucius promised with a soft chuckle. Evidently Draco's Veela side was making a stand. He had been expecting it, but still...

Hurrying down the few yards separating their rooms, Lucius entered the boys' suite, only to encounter an angry Draco shouting through a closed door. It seemed Harry had been wise enough not to stay in the living room and had locked himself away.

"Dragon?" Lucius asked, doing his best to hide his amusement. It wouldn't do to have his son angry at him as well.

"Father! Thank Circe you are here! Maybe you can talk some sense into Harry. I simply cannot allow him to go out dressed like that! Tell him!"

"Calm down, my little Dragon," Lucius soothed, wrapping his arms around his agitated son.

When he was sure Draco had control of himself, he stepped up to the brunet's door and knocked. "Harry? It is safe to come out now," he called, hoping the boy could hear him through the massive wood.

The door cracked open and Harry peeked outside. Seeing the older Malfoy, he opened the door more fully and waited, prepared to slam the door closed a second time if needed.

Lucius swallowed; the boy was exquisite, even more so since he hadn't noticed it himself. "Harry, for the peace of mind of my son, could you put your school robe on?"

Harry shrugged, but did as asked. Re-entering the living room, he skirted around Draco and settled on the edge of a chair, prepared to flee if necessary. He never noticed when Draco shot an enlargement spell at his robe.

"What was that all about?" Harry demanded, still eyeing Draco carefully.

"That was a fit of a jealous Veela. I have to agree with him though, you look very good dressed like that, Harry; you will have half the school wanting to get into your knickers. Those colours really suit you."

"What do you mean, 'dressed like that'? I've been dressed like this since you took me shopping and he has never flipped like this before," Harry complained.

"That is because you look exceptionally handsome today," Lucius tried to explain, only to be met with a confused stare from Harry and an angry growl from his son.

"Calm yourself, Dragon, I am not competition," Lucius scolded lightly, prepared to defend himself if need be.

"I know, but don't talk about him like that!"

"But, Draco, I don't understand. I'm not handsome, or, Merlin forbid, sexy," Harry complained, cursing the blush that stained his cheeks. "You are the one who is beautiful. I could never compete with you."

Draco's face softened and he went to Harry's side and gave him a gentle hug and a kiss on the top of his head. "Never change, Harry, promise me that."

"Huh? Change what? What are you on about now?" Harry demanded, not sure if he should get angry or not.

"Never mind, love. I'll explain it to you later." _Much later when we are naked in bed doing wicked things,_ Draco thought dreamily, remembering the dream from last night.

"I think you better head down for breakfast, I am sure Dumbledore is waiting for you. And Harry, it doesn't matter if you understand or not, but either put on some other clothes or make sure to wear your robe all day," Lucius said, hoping Harry would take the hint and go change, but having a feeling that he wouldn't. He was proven right when all Harry did was _Accio_ his school bag and leave, shaking his head and muttering about crazy Veelas with not a lick of sense.

Draco sighed and summoned his own bag. At least the bulky school robe would hide most of his mate's delicious attributes. Hopefully that would be enough.

HPDM

Entering the Great Hall, Harry looked around, assessing the mood of the room. Hermione still wore her hair as a horse's tail, it looked like she had been unable to get it fixed. Ron was shooting him daggers, daring him to bring Malfoy over to sit with them. Spotting Neville sitting by himself, Harry walked over to him and plonked down beside him. "Morning, Nev, fall out?" he asked, indicating the irritated looks sent their way.

Neville snorted. "You could say that. Congratulations on being picked as a Veela's mate, by the way. I've tried to make the others see reason, but they are blinded by the fact that the Veela in question is a Slytherin and a Malfoy. No offence, Malfoy," he hurriedly added.

"None taken," Draco assured the shy boy, who didn't look quite so shy anymore. He had lost much of his baby fat over the summer, and was turning into a handsome young man. Not as handsome as Harry of course, but then, no one was as beautiful as Harry was.

"Ron has been going on all weekend about how you are going Dark," Neville continued,toying nervously with his fork. "And how you are being corrupted, and how you no longer are their Harry. He's also going on and on about how you've changed since Sirius died, and that something must have happened when He possessed you." Neville whispered the last, making sure no one could overhear them.

Harry snorted. "He's still on about that? I tried to tell him during the summer, but he never listened. To hear him talking I'm supposed to just brush the whole incident off and not be affected by the fact that I watched my godfather die before my very eyes. The git! If they give you too much hell, tell me and I'll find a way to help you."

"Thanks, Harry, but that is not necessary. At least... not yet."

"What about Granger?" Draco asked curiously. Usually she could be relied on as a voice of reason.

Neville chuckled. "She's spent the entire weekend buried in books. Who did that to her hair? She isn't telling and none of the counter-curses she's tried have worked."

"Our guardian is Salazar Slytherin," Harry explained.

"Oh, that answers that question, no one will be able to do anything until the castle allows it, or the spell wears off, which can take a while. What? I've talked with Helga Hufflepuff a lot. She was incredibly skilled when it came to Herbology and we enjoy talking about my experiments," Neville said, seeing the surprised looks his companions sent him.

"Good for you, Nev," Harry said, looking up as the owls arrived with the mail. Two owls landed next to Draco and Neville, both carrying a _Daily_ _Prophet_. The boys freed the birds of their burdens, and they immediately took off again. Harry snorted in disdain, applying himself to his breakfast, missing the owl that came for him until he had company on his plate.

"Well, hello there," Harry said, freeing the owl from his burdens. Offering the bird a ration of bacon off his plate, Harry unrolled the letter and scanned it quickly.

_Hello Sweetie,_

_I'm sorry for taking so long getting back to you, but Aires - my owl - needed to rest up a bit before making the journey again. He is getting on in years_,_ I'm afraid._

_I have included the usual Transporter. Please tell me if there is anything else I can do for you. _

_Sincerely,_

_Abigail Sweetwater._

"Bloody Hell!"

The outcry pulled Harry away from the letter and he looked up at the cause of the commotion, Ronald Weasley. Seeing the looks he got from everyone, he groaned and held out his hand for the paper. Draco gave it to him with a smirk.

_The Boy-Who-Lived A Fashion Designer?  
by Rita Skeeter_

_Yesterday the Daily Prophet got an anonymous tip that Harry Potter, more commonly known as the Boy-Who-Lived, has branched out to do more things than fighting You-Know-Who. He has, in fact, designed his own clothes._

_The anonymous writer directed us to the disreputable shop_,_ Seven Sins_,_ and this reporter talked to the enthusiastic co-owner_,_ Sean O'Connely. He confirmed that the Boy-Who-Lived indeed preferred to go around dressed in leather. "He is rather picky about the style though, was most displeased with my usual fare_,_ and decided to create his own look when he couldn't find what he wanted," Sean said with a big grin. "He claimed he didn't want to walk around looking like a street-walker," he added with a laugh. A sight this reporter wouldn't mind seeing._

_Mr. O'Connely continued to divulge to me that Harry Potter had given him the right to sell this design to his usual clientele and that he was delighted to do so, not at all offended that the design wasn't originally his. Sean O'Connely has even promised to sew up any ideas the Boy-Who-Lived might have. Is this the beginning of a new fashion designer? Only time will tell._

Under the text were several pictures of Sean modelling the new style. There was even one included of him, and Harry realised it had to be one of the mirror images he had created and forgotten about. Apparently Sean had saved it.

"'Bloody Hell!' summons it up nicely," Harry groused. "This is all your fault, Draco."

"Mine? It was you who insisted on wearing leather."

"Yeah, but it was you who told Nott," Harry grumbled, grabbing a piece of toast and chewing on it angrily.

"Don't worry, love, it will soon blow over, and in the meantime this will do wonders for Sean and his shop, which should induce him to hurry up with that special order, wouldn't you say?" Draco purred, wanting to tease Harry out of his bad mood.

"I guess. But you'll deal with the Howlers!" Harry threatened. "Are you finished? I want to head to class."

"Why? It's still early," Draco said, perplexed. Then his eyes narrowed in suspicion, but he didn't say anything, merely wolfed his food down.

"Are you coming, Nev? You've got Transfiguration now too, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," Neville nodded, having seen Draco's reaction. Something was up and if Harry thought it was wise to head out early, who was he to dawdle?

HPDM

Harry settled into one of the seats. Draco raised an eyebrow and sat down next to him. For once Harry had chosen a desk at the front of the room, in the front left corner to be exact. As far away from the door as possible, the blond realised as he looked around the classroom.

"Alright, what did you do?" he hissed.

"You'll soon see. It's just a little something to keep the Headmaster busy," Harry smirked.

"That's it! No more pranking without me being present! Why should you have all the fun?" Draco complained, mulling over ways to extract that promise from his slippery mate.

"But, Draco, I didn't set up this prank," Harry said, with wide, innocent eyes.

Draco made the mistake of looking into them, and he happily drowned. Damn, that yellow colour really brought out his mate's incredible eye colour.

"Mr. Malfoy! Please desist ogling Mr. Potter and hand in your homework!"

Draco blinked and the spell was broken. Looking around the room, he noted an irritated McGonagall and several students that were practically drooling, eyeing him in a most disturbing way.

"Ooops, sorry, Professor," Draco said sheepishly, realising what must have happened. He'd lost control of the Veela allure and had almost ensnared the entire class.

"Make sure it doesn't happen again," McGonagall snapped, accepting the two boys' homework.

The bell rang and the professor faced the class, noting that three of her students were missing. Sighing mentally, she opened her mouth to start her lecture when a scream and a clang of something metallic hitting stone were heard outside the door.

Perplexed, McGonagall marched to the door and yanked it open. Outside, in the corridor, were her missing students. There was also a suit of armour that was swinging its axe at anything moving, including her. Quickly McGonagall dropped to the floor and rolled away in a manner that seemed to prove that she had once been a great Chaser for Gryffindor. The axe lodged itself into the door and the armour tugged at it, attempting to free it.

"_Finite Incantatem_!" McGonagall bellowed, but the animated armour didn't stop moving as she had hoped, but continued to work at freeing its axe, finally succeeding. Gesturing for the children to move inside quickly, McGonagall pushed the door closed and warded it, just as the armour managed to yield its weapon. A dull thud could be heard from the other side, and the door shuddered under the assault, but the wood and the wards held, much to everyone's relief.

Pointing her wand towards herself, McGonagall whispered a spell, allowing her to tap into the magic of the castle, an ability she had thanks to her role as Deputy Headmistress.

"Attention all students and staff: The armour outside of the Transfiguration classroom has been animated and is attacking anything that moves. A simple _Finite Incantatem_ will not work. We need to be rescued, but move with caution in case this is not the only armour that's been enchanted in this way."

Ending the spell, McGonagall turned towards the class. "If anyone knows anything about this, I strongly urge you to step forward and speak up now before anyone is harmed."

No one moved a muscle beside the few girls that were sobbing softly from the fright they'd received. A few of the boys looked like they wanted to join them.

"Very well then, today we will begin to work on transfiguring a mammal into a fish. What are the problems with such a transfiguration? Mr. Malfoy?"

"A mammal is warm blooded while a fish is cold blooded. The animal will resist the change and you will need more focus and willpower to make such a transformation work," Draco drawled, earning himself a disappointed look from Hermione and five points from the professor.

"Exactly. If you have done your homework thoroughly, you will know both the wand movements and the incantation. I am going to send around a crate filled with mice, chose one and try to change it into a fish of your choice. I'd recommend something small and non-hostile. I do not want to see a shark in here, is that understood?"

A chorus of 'yes, Professor' caused her to snort, but she sent the crate around the classroom as promised.

Harry picked one of the mice and stunned it. For a moment he considered what he wanted to do, before picking the image of a tropical fish he'd seen a picture of once and then he attempted the spell. Slowly the mouse began to change, but it was slow going. It almost felt like he was wading through a river of molasses. Pouring more power into the spell, concentrating fiercely on what he wanted to happen, Harry almost fell face first into the desk when with a 'pop' the mouse was replaced with a colourful guppy, which weakly flopped about gulping for air. Draco quickly conjured a bowl of water and levitated the fish, dropping it inside.

"Well done, Mr. Potter. Ten points to Gryffindor." McGonagall beamed at him.

Harry mopped his face and was surprised to note that he was the first to manage the spell. Not even Hermione had succeeded, and she was glaring darkly at him. Seeing he was watching her, the girl turned a cold shoulder to him and made a second attempt at the spell.

Draco snorted and took a stab at the spell as well. He had been too busy watching Harry to make an attempt of his own.

Five minutes later, a beautiful angelfish was flopping on his desk and Harry returned the favour by placing it into a bowl of water.

"Wonderful, ten points to Slytherin. Homework for next time is an 8-inch essay on your observations of casting the spell," McGonagall said after admiring the blond's fish. Looking out over the classroom, she hurried over to one of the students, intent on rectifying the mistake he was making before something nasty happened.

By the time the bell rang, both Harry and Draco had finished their essays, handing them in as they passed the desk. A scream caused them to turn around sharply, in time to see the armour swing its axe at the students who tried to exit the room. Both Harry and Draco put up a shield, casting the same spell at the same time, causing the shield to blend and become stronger. Strong enough to push the armour out and close the door shut in the armour's 'face'.

"It would seem we are stuck here at the moment," McGonagall said, sounding a bit flustered. "I am sure the Headmaster will have everything under control soon. Why don't you pull out your books and read the next chapter while we wait."

The class settled down and did as they'd been told. Silence soon prevailed except for a thudding sound now and then, causing the students to jump each time they heard it.

HPDM

_Earlier_

When McGonagall's magically enhanced voice travelled through the school, all the teachers froze in shock and Dumbledore almost choked on his lemon drop. (It had taken him 15 tries to find a real one and he was getting mighty annoyed at the prankster.) This was far more serious though and he hurried from his office to come to his teacher's rescue.

Lucius looked up from the book he was reading and frowned. Getting up, he was about to go and investigate when a house-elf appeared, handing him a letter. Giving the blond a toothy grin, the elf bowed and disappeared with a soft pop.

_Dear Lucius,_

_If you are reading this then my little revenge is working fine. Don't worry, the suits of armour are not charmed to harm anyone, just to give them a good scare. The spell will be activated by the bell ringing for first class, and it should deactivate when the bell rings for lunch. If it doesn't, the cancellation spell is: _God Save the Queen_. What can I say? It was a Muggle-born who came up with the spell I used._

_I hope you aren't too angry with me._

_Harry_

Lucius chuckled; it would seem the boy wasn't above getting revenge on his enemies. Good for him. He only hoped he had covered his tracks well, after what had happened yesterday, Harry would be a prime suspect for this calamity.

Considering his options, Lucius changed his clothes and left. He had an appointment with the goblins at Gringotts at eleven and he had no intention of missing it because of a few clanking armours. By the sound of it, it would take him some time to sneak out of the castle. After all, it wasn't just the armours he needed to hide from, but the Headmaster as well. Unless he wanted to be roped into aiding the trapped students, and frankly his business with the Goblins was much more important than this mess.

Severus looked up in surprise at the announcement and stalked over to the classroom door, using his wand to yank it open. He had the same reaction as Minerva, only he had two armours standing outside his doors, armed with halberds. Slamming the door shut, and warding it to be on the safe side, Severus turned back to the class. Silently, he stalked to the front of the room and pivoted around smartly. Looking out over the sea of faces, he slowly smirked.

"It looks like we will be here for a while. It will give us ample opportunity to get this potion right. It is a simple healing salve that I am sure even you can get right, eventually. The instructions are on the board. Get to it!"

The children paled dramatically and ran to get the supplies they needed. This was hell, locked in the dungeons by deranged armours, held prisoner by an equally mad professor. They were doomed!

Professor Flitwick almost fell off the books he was standing on in shock at the news. He used a charm to look through the door and upon seeing the armour with a bow in his hands, an arrow ready to let go, he simply warded the door and turned back to teach his class.

Albus was getting frustrated. On his way to rescue Minerva, he had encountered no less than three armours, which were now hell-bent on getting through the door he'd been forced to hide behind. None of the spells he'd shot off had worked and he was beginning to get worried. Who was behind this? How was he going to get help? For that matter, who could help them? And how was he going to avoid this mess being spread across the Daily Prophet?

He was still mulling over this problem a few hours later when the bell rang for lunch. As the bell ended, there was a loud clang, and when Albus causiously opened the door, he noted a pile of armour lying on the floor. It looked like the nightmare was over; he could only pray that it was for good.

Prodding the pile carefully with his toe, Albus made sure it was not about to come back to life again. A few spells confirmed that whatever enchantment had been used had now worn off.

Clearing his throat, he cast the same spell McGonagall had used and addressed the school. "Attention everyone! The armours have been defeated. Proceed with caution to the Great Hall. Thank you."

He ended the spell and hurried to the Great Hall as well. He needed to make sure the children were all right. If they thought he had ended the spells, well, that was only good for the school morale, right?

HPDM

Harry bit back a laugh at the rumours spreading like wildfire. It was amazing what people could come up with when they tried. The latest piece of gossip was that it was You-Know-Who who had cast the spell in an attempt to take over the castle. It was only due to the heroic actions of the Headmaster that the plot had been thwarted.

Dumbledore, for his part, merrily sat at the Head Table and twinkled at the students, basking in the many admiring glances sent his way.

Eventually he rose and everyone grew quiet. "Today we have been subjected to a most insidious attack. It is fortunate indeed that no one was hurt. I am urging any of you that know anything about this vicious attempt on our lives to come forward. I promise that no one will be punished for this, since I am positive forces outside this school were behind the attack. All classes will be cancelled for the rest of the day while the teachers and I make sure this will not happen again. Students, please return to your common rooms. Prefects, make sure no one is left wandering the castle. Dismissed."

Harry barely made it back to their rooms before he collapsed, laughing until tears streamed down his face and he had to hold his aching midriff, fighting for his every breath.

"That was bloody brilliant!" Draco said with admiration. "But how did you manage to get all those armours without getting caught? What spell did you use? And how come you didn't tell me!" he demanded, waiting impatiently for Harry to get his breath back so he could begin to explain. He had quite some time to wait.

* * *

**Next Time:**  
Harry does some explaining.  
Stay Tuned… 


	25. Explanations

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

**A/N**: Some of you have mentioned that you didn't think that the prank seemed to be much of a payback, in fact, quite the opposite. All I've got to say to that is, just wait until you see what Harry has in store for the next Monday prank, and the Monday after that…

Thank you Vaughn for being my Beta

* * *

**Explanations**

It was late afternoon by the time Lucius arrived back at the castle. He cautiously made his way through the large front doors, all too aware of the suits of armour standing nearby. He had faith in Harry, but things did not always go the way you'd planned, and he was not in the mood to be assaulted by yet another suit. The one he had encountered on his way outside had been enough, thank you very much. Lucius absentmindedly reached up and rubbed his shoulder. He and the armour had practically walked into each other when rounding a corner. The thing had managed to take one swing with its halberd, but fortunately for the blond, the suit had only severely bruised him and not killed him, as had been Lucius' first thought. He had not given the thing a second chance, shouting out the counter-curse, one of the most ridiculous phrases he had ever heard!

It had worked though, and the suit had stood down and ambled back to wherever it came from, enabling Lucius to make his escape. He had managed to flee the castle without any further encounters, to his great relief.

Walking swiftly along the corridors, Lucius noted that nothing seemed out of place, and unless he had witnessed the mayhem himself, he wouldn't have believed what had been going on here this very morning. Shaking his head in amazement, wondering how Dumbledore had taken the disturbance, the aristocrat made it to the boys' rooms unmolested.

Entering through the door, his eyes lit up at the sight of the two of them sitting peacefully side by side doing homework. "I take it you are pleased with yourselves?" he asked, walking over to them, taking a look at what they were working on.

"Of course, sir, wouldn't you be?" Harry asked, tongue in cheek, his green eyes dancing with merriment.

"Brat," Lucius replied with a laugh. "Spill it, how in Salazar's name did you manage to do that?"

"Sorry, Lucius, you have to wait until Severus gets here. The story isn't so thrilling that I wish to tell it three times in the same day," Harry replied laconically.

"Humph, it is fortunate for you, young man, that I like you," Lucius said with a sniff. "Very well, since it seems I have some time to wait, I suppose you can use the time trying these on," he added, pulling two packages from his pockets, enlarging them, and giving one to each boy.

Draco eagerly tore into his, while Harry subjected the blond to a suspicious look. Lucius merely lifted an eyebrow, daring him to make a fuss.

Realising the futility of making waves before he even knew what was in the parcel, Harry sighed and tore into it, groaning when he noted several sets of leather clothes. "Lucius, we have _got_ to talk about your tendency to splurge on clothes for me. I already have plenty of clothes, I don't need any more!"

"Thanks, Dad, these are so cool," Draco said in delight, having unearthed several sets of leather outfits as well.

"You are most welcome, son." Lucius smiled. "As for you, Harry, I will overlook your comments, considering you grew up with heathens. A Malfoy never has too much clothes, besides, not even you can consider three outfits to be plenty."

"It's more than I've ever had before," Harry grumbled quietly, but his two companions heard him anyway.

"You are a Malfoy now, Harry, and you need to keep a certain standard. These outfits together with the ones you already have should tide you over until your real outfits are finished. It seems Mr. O'Connely has run into a few problems with some of your modifications," Lucius replied, sending a house-elf to get some refreshments.

"Let's see what colours he got you," Draco said, pulling the leathers from Harry's unresisting hands. "White, emerald green, jade green, royal-blue, navy-blue, tarnished silver… oh, you will have the entire school drooling over you dressed in these," Draco said with evident pleasure.

"Is that something to desire considering your reaction this morning?" Harry asked dryly, realising that he was fighting a losing battle. The Malfoys were going to do as they liked, he might as well go along for the ride. He would get his revenge at Christmas though. If they insisted on showering him with expensive gifts, it was only fair that he got to do the same, right? And by then, maybe he would know the men well enough to know just what to get them. Smirking slightly, Harry joined in the spirit and began to examine what Lucius had gotten for his son.

HPDM

It was very late afternoon by the time Severus could make his escape. Albus had gathered his most skilled teachers and had them examine the suits of armours for signs of magical spells or potions. They had found nothing. Whatever had been used to animate them, it was gone now, gone without a trace. There weren't even any signs left that they had ever been animated.

Dumbledore had refused to give up though, and had kept the professors at it long after they had given up on finding the culprit. Eventually Albus had been forced to give in and he had dismissed them, convinced Dark Magic had been behind it all, and he had left muttering about strengthening the wards and finding ways to scan for the Dark Mark.

Severus sneered and for once did not head for his dungeons, but to the ones he was positive were behind this whole mess. He was going to demand an explanation, ream them out but good and - maybe - award them a few points for a revenge well done. Oh yes, this had Potter written all over it. That boy had grown up and anyone not seeing it was a fool – an extremely blind fool.

"Are they in?" he asked Salazar, who nodded with a smirk.

"Good, dragons and Parselmouths."

The portrait swung open and Severus entered into a very cosy scene. Lucius was stretched out on one of the couches, reading, while Draco and Harry were sitting at the table, a few logs of wood sitting between them, talking softly and giggling.

"Alright, you little rascals! What did you do?" Severus snarled, stalking further into the room.

"Severus, I'm glad you came. What is the verdict?" Lucius asked, sitting up.

"The verdict, as you put it, was… that somehow the Dark Lord managed to get past Hogwart's defences and enchanted the suits. That would explain why the spell collapsed so suddenly, he didn't have the stamina to keep it up any longer."

Harry snorted, shaking his head.

"Quite! So what did you do, you little menace?" Severus asked again, his black eyes boring into Harry's skull as if he could will the information out of him.

"What makes you think it was me?" Harry asked innocently.

"Please! You are the only one with a grievance, no, let me rephrase that. You are the only one I know of at the moment who is angry enough and powerful enough to attempt to extract revenge on the Headmaster. Everyone else is merely gnashing their teeth or muttering angrily in dark corners. Well?"

Harry smiled ruefully. Trust Snape to be the one to figure it out. But then, the man was a spy and skilled at picking up even the smallest clue. "Yes, I'm the one who did it, and I've already promised Lucius I'd tell him what I did as soon as you got here. I did not relish the thought of telling my tale three times."

"And since Severus has arrived, it is time to talk. Tea anyone?" Lucius asked, snapping his fingers to summon a house-elf.

Severus nodded and sank into a chair, accepting the teacup filled with his favourite blend, along with a plate filled with sticky chocolate cake.

"Right. Where to start?" Harry mused, making himself more comfortable. "It began this summer when I stumbled across this diary, written by Norabeth Mulligan. She was a Muggle-born witch who lived during the reign of Elizabeth I. Her father was a merchant and married to a mouse of a woman, according to Norabeth. She was fascinated by the queen, but didn't dare name her only daughter after her. Instead she mixed and matched until she came up with Norabeth Elizandra Mulligan."

"Poor kid," Lucius murmured.

"Anyway, when she got her Hogwarts letter, her family was aghast and they threw her out. Norabeth didn't mind too much though, she was highly intelligent and had always dreamed about learning. She often eavesdropped on her four brothers' lessons and read their books any chance she got, much to her parents' dismay. From what I gather, she was something like Hermione, only with a far better attitude."

"This is all very fascinating, but what has it to do with what happened this morning?" Severus asked impatiently.

"I'm getting there," Harry smirked. "Norabeth was sorted into Ravenclaw and was apparently a whiz at Arithmancy. She was also something of a prankster. Her best friends were a fellow Ravenclaw named Augustus Snape, and a Slytherin named Lucien Malfoy."

Lucius and Severus both gasped.

"Apparently they too were also well known pranksters. Then one day, the school began to argue about who was the best pranker of the three. I'm not sure how, but they were roped into a bet. They got a month to create a brand new prank that would take place during a Friday, morning to lunch, lunch to dinner, and dinner to midnight. The students and the teachers were to be the judges.

"All three of them set to work, and what you saw this morning was Norabeth's prank. She bespelled a handful of small pebbles and dropped them into the suits of armours lining the corridors. When the bell rang for first class, the spell was activated and the suits began to charge down everyone that moved. When the bell rang for lunch, the spell was finished and the pebbles were banished. Thus no one knew how it was done and Norabeth had managed to create havoc inside the school," Harry ended his explanation.

"I agree it was a brilliant idea, but, Harry, it also very dangerous. What if someone got hurt?"

"But that's what's so brilliant with the spell she used." Harry laughed. "You can't get hurt. She thought of it too, you see. It was actually one of the rules, you couldn't hurt anyone, and you couldn't humiliate someone. The weapons still looked real, and if it hit stone or wood, they even sounded real. But, if they hit someone living, it would be like being hit by a weapon made of rubber. It might bruise, but it won't maim or kill."

"Hmph," Severus snorted.

"I can attest to that," Lucius said ruefully, rubbing his shoulder and the spectacular bruise he was sure was hidden under the clothes. His action drew the attention of the Potions Master, and before he knew it, Lucius found himself stripped to the waist while Severus carefully examined his injury, prodding with gentle fingers to make sure that a nasty bruise was all he suffered from.

"You will live," Severus said in a matter of fact tone, spreading some salve over the bruise, ignoring the way the blond wrinkled his nose at the smell.

"What I want to know is who won the contest," Lucius said with a grin once he had been allowed to redress; after all, the honour of one of his ancestors was at stake.

"Actually, they all won. The students couldn't decide which prank was coolest, and the teachers were all so impressed with the ingenuity and the spell work involved that they couldn't decide either," Harry grinned.

"Why do I have a feeling we will be subjected to the other two's pranks as well?" Severus asked with a small groan.

"Umm, maybe because you will?" Harry said, bursting into laughter upon seeing the men's faces.

"What happened to this young witch?" Lucius asked, deciding a change of subject might be good.

"She married a wizard three years her senior named Orion Black and gave him seven sons and three daughters."

Lucius nodded. He had guessed as much when Harry said it all began this summer. He hadn't bought the trunks then, and the only books he would have had access to were those found in the Black libraries.

"That reminds me. The families in the old days, at the time of the founders and there abouts, they all had loads of children. Why don't the families of today?" Harry asked with curiosity.

"In the old days the life was much harsher. Children died as infants at a much higher rate than they do today. Even if they survived the infant stage, life was still harder than nowadays, and duels to the death were not uncommon when settling a grievance. To ensure that the family named survived, they had more children. If you had only one, the risk was very big that they could be killed off, thus making a distant relative head of the family. Or the family line died out completely."

"But what about today? In the past 100 years, we've had two big wars, and one that is still being fought. Isn't the risk of something happening to the heir just as big today as it was then? What would happen if, Merlin forbid, something happened to Draco? Wouldn't the Malfoy name die with him?" Harry wondered with a frown, trying to understand.

Lucius shuddered, paling drastically.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," Harry said miserably.

"You didn't," Lucius said, trying to reassure the youth and collect himself at the same time. "You just happened to touch one of my nightmares. I always wanted a large family, but Narcissa, the cold-hearted bitch, refused. Claimed it would ruin her 'perfect' figure. Having large families fell out of practice a few hundred years ago, at least among the Purebloods, when there were a few rather vicious fights about who was to inherit the title and the property. It even went so far that one son killed off his five brothers to ensure he was the one to inherit when their father died. Seeing that, many families began to have only one son to ensure that such a thing did not happen again."

Harry snorted. "And the Purebloods moan about how the Muggle-borns are taking over their world. No bloody wonder when they are breeding themselves out of existence! That attitude really needs to change if the wizarding world is to survive. Each family should have at least two children, a son and a daughter. At the very least! I'm only surprised those idiots at the Ministry haven't tried to make a law or something, deciding on the number of children a family is to have. Surely others beside me are aware of the dangers we are facing?"

"I'm afraid not," Severus commented. "Everyone is so focused on the war that they are fairly blind to everything else. Whoever ends up leading the wizarding world once the Dark Lord is gone is facing a gargantuan task getting it back on its feet. The outlook on Dark and Light needs to be revised, a lot of subjects need to be reinstated here at Hogwarts. The issue of the number of children needs to be addressed, and then there is the whole question of Dark Creatures, which is a beehive in itself."

Harry nodded. "Another problem is jobs, isn't it? There are too few jobs in the wizarding world, so the Muggle-borns return to the Muggle world where they can get a second degree and find jobs more easily. The Muggle world also has all these modern commodities that they are used to and that the magical world is lacking. Hogwarts doesn't show them how to compensate for dishwashers and washing machines and such. There is also the fact that they aren't fully introduced to the wizarding world. They don't understand the customs and laws that rule it. No wonder they return to what is known and thus more comfortable. Reading all these diaries is helping me to understand better, but I am still lost when it comes to a lot of things. I'm not sure I will ever be fully comfortable in the magical world, and that makes me so mad because if it wasn't for Dumbledore's meddling I would have had a _real_ childhood. I could have grown up, learning all the things the purebloods do, and not walking around feeling like I don't fit in. That I don't belong, just because I didn't inhale it with the mother's milk the way children like Draco did."

Draco scooted closer to Harry and wrapped him into a hug. "Hush, love. We will get rid of Voldie and deal with Dumbles and we will make sure no child ever has to experience what you did. Okay?"

Harry buried his face into the crook of Draco's neck and nodded. Putting his arms tentatively around the Veela, Harry basked in the feeling of love that seemed to come off the other in waves. All directed at him.

Lucius and Severus both watched the scene with sad eyes. In getting to know the boy better, they found it was criminal the way he had been treated. How he still was able to feel compassion was beyond them. So easily he could have been turned into something Darker than even Tom Riddle, yet he hadn't. Harry's soul was shining through and it was almost blindingly bright. It only made the knowledge of his abuse even more difficult to bear.

**

* * *

Next Time:  
**The four discuss the Dark Marks and Severus and Lucius learn a bit more about the Spirit Snakes.  
Stay Tuned… 


	26. Spirit Snakes and the Dark Mark

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

**A/N:** I invented the ritual mentioned below. I hope I haven't offended anyone since that was not my intent.

A BIG thank you to all you wonderful people who has reviewed my story.

Thank you Vaughn for being my Beta.

* * *

**Dark Marks and Spirit Snakes**

Severus put his cutlery down and gave Harry a pointed look. "I've been meaning to ask you something, young man," he began, gaining the attention of everyone around the table.

"What's that, sir?" Harry asked with some trepidation, uncertain what he could have done to put that look on the Potions Master's face.

"Severus?" Lucius asked, wondering the same thing. He wanted to turn the attention away from the youth, but he was unable to as long as he didn't know what the problem was.

Sensing the older Veela's concern, Severus flicked his hand as if to wave the worries aside. "I'm just curious is all," he said, as if that explained everything. Returning his focus on Harry, he went on, "What in Merlin's name made you try to _talk_ to the Dark Mark?"

Harry blushed and ducked his head. "I'm not sure. When I left Dumbledore's office, I was just so, so _angry_. I was actually on my way to the Room of Requirement to ask it for something I could smash, hoping to vent my temper that way.

"The 'talk' he and I had also made me realise that the complete break between me and Dumbledore was closer than I'd figured, and that we probably need to get away from here sooner rather than later.

"And it was then it hit me… I had no idea what the Dark Mark is like. I mean, I saw it for the first time at the end of my fourth year, when you, Severus, showed it to Fudge as proof that Voldie was back – and by the way, we have _got_ to do something about that imbecile! – but other than that… " Harry shrugged. It wasn't exactly as if he was friends with any Death Eaters, and Snape and him had only recently become friendly towards one another. Harry could picture what would have happened if he'd walked up to Severus last year and said, "Hey, wanna show me your tattoo? I'll let you see my scar in exchange, if you'd like." Yeah, that conversation would have gone over very well, not! Snape would have hexed him into next year, if not further, and there was no one else he could have asked, now was there? It wasn't exactly something you went up to people and inquired about. And the way Dumbledore refused to share matters of importance and discouraged true exchanges of information…

Severus and Lucius nodded their heads in understanding. It really wasn't something the boy would be familiar with.

"But what possessed you to try and talk to it?" Severus persisted.

Harry shrugged once more. "When I was holding your arm I felt something. I'm not sure I can explain it, but there was an… awareness to the tattoo I didn't think was normal, not even for the wizarding world, so I played on a hunch and to my utter amazement, the snake actually talked back."

"What did it say?" Draco asked eagerly. He too wanted the mark gone, and yet he couldn't help but be curious as well. He knew of course that his father wore the Dark Mark. He had seen it on several occasions, mostly by accident. He had learned from an early age not to ask questions about it, but still he was burning up with curiosity.

Harry frowned in thought. "It didn't so much talk to me with words, rather it communicated in images. The spirit embedded into Severus' arm is a cobra. Once it roamed the spirit world freely, looking out for members of its race. Then Voldemort came, and somehow, the snake isn't sure how, he managed to wrestle her from the spirit plane and into this world and forced her into the tattoo. The ceremony was not designed for doing that.

"The American Indians used the ritual to embed the spirit of their totem onto their flesh so they could seek their guidance, and afterwards the spirit was let free again. Riddle somehow managed to bring the spirits to this world, without gaining their permission first, anchoring the spirits to the skull part of the tattoo, preventing them from leaving again. In time the spirits grew resentful and angry and they reacted the only way they could, by making the person they were tied to feel just as angry, resentful, and downright mean as they did.

"When Riddle 'died' when I was a baby, the spirits were almost freed from their prisons and they were able to somewhat return to their rightful home. Unfortunately, Voldemort was too tightly tied to his followers, and it was those spirits he had enslaved that unwittingly helped him to survive as they partially pulled him into the spirit plane with them. Over time he grew more powerful and, well, we all know what happened next," Harry said, making a face.

"Fascinating," Severus said, looking down at his arm. "But how did the snake know what potion to use?"

"We… I guess you could say we had an exchange of knowledge," Harry mused, staring into space as he tried to recall exactly what had happened that morning.

"An exchange of knowledge?" Lucius asked, sharing a look of concern with his mate.

"Yeah, remember, they are used to sharing information with and guiding the ones calling on them? They can't do that unless they know what it is the caller needs, or why they were called in the first place. If they find the one calling on them worthy, they will give the requested information, in riddle form, of course, otherwise they will remain silent until they are released.

"Salissa went into my mind and extracted everything I knew of the war, and it was she who realised that the _Sanastosia Potion_ would help in freeing her. She isn't sure if the release part of the ritual would be strong enough to set her free, considering that it wasn't any of us who imprisoned her. Added to that is the fact that Salissa and the others captured by Voldie have been bound for far longer than any other spirit ever has, and we are faced with a lot of uncertainties. Seeing as I was one of the worthy, she allowed me to find out about the true purpose of the ritual and a few other things as well," Harry finished a bit lamely, not sure how to explain the images and emotions he had been given. It really wasn't something that could be described.

"Salissa?" Draco asked.

"Uh-huh, that is the name of the cobra. She seemed really nice. Once this whole mess is over, do you think I could get a few snakes? They are highly intelligent and I wouldn't mind having a few as pets," Harry said, giving Draco an eager look with some pleading behind it.

Draco thought quickly. He didn't care that Harry was a Parselmouth. No, that wasn't quite right. To tell the truth, he was delighted that his mate had such a rare gift, and he knew better than to think it would turn him Dark. Besides, a few poisonous snakes set on defending his mate could only be a benefit. "I don't mind at all, in fact, I think it is a great idea. Just think of all the things they could snoop out and report back to you," he added with a grin.

Harry was tricked into a laugh. Trust a Slytherin to see schemes around every corner.

"I think it is an excellent idea as well." Lucius nodded his head in agreement. "But let us finish this conversation first. Are you sure there was no harm done to you? After all, we know nothing about this spirit, not all of them are benevolent," he cautioned, more concerned than he wanted to let on.

A soft hissing sound caused all of them to startle, and Severus grasped his arm with a soft gaspUndoing the button, he reluctantly rolled the sleeves of his robe and shirt up. This was something new. The sensations running up and down his arm were nothing like when the Dark Lord summoned him, and the mark had never been hissing at him before either.

Harry, on the other hand, was fascinated, and he tilted his head to the side, listening intently. Reaching out, he gently yet firmly grasped Severus' arm and held it up closer to his face, the better to understand what Salissa was saying.

'_These humans are annoying, but they mean well I suppose. They worry about you, snakeling, and I sense that they will not calm until they understand. Wake the spirit I can sense near me and together we will make sure the humans understand that I mean you no harm,'_ Salissa ordered with an annoyed hiss.

Harry bit back a smile and let go of the professor's arm. Looking over at Lucius, Harry hesitated briefly before saying, "Sir, I need to look at your mark as well."

Lucius merely lifted an eyebrow, giving Harry a searching look before he repeated his mate's actions.

Holding out his arm for Harry to grasp, the brunet accepted the limb and looked closely at the Dark Mark. There seemed to be a small difference between the two, not so much in looks as in the feelings they emitted.

'_Hello,'_ Harry hissed hesitantly.

'_It is about time someone bothered to talk to me!'_ a haughty voice hissed.

'_My apologies. Who are you?'_ Harry asked, not sure how to deal with a hissy snake.

'_I am Eturo, an Ashwinder. I sense a fellow spirit, who is it?'_

Harry looked from one arm to the other, uncertain of what to do next. On impulse he pulled on the two arms until they were laying next to each other. Placing his hands over the marks, Harry felt how the spirits used him as a conductor, enabling them to talk freely.

Harry had no idea how long the conference between the two snakes was, but when he came back to himself a frantic Draco was shaking his shoulder so hard it was rocking Harry's head back and forth, making him feel extremely nauseous.

"I'm all right," Harry croaked hoarsely, wanting nothing more than to lay down and sleep for a week.

"Thank Merlin! Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Draco exclaimed, pulling Harry into a tight hug. "I thought I had lost you! You wouldn't react and there was no way of bringing you out of whatever you were doing," the Veela murmured into Harry's neck.

Harry wrapped his arms around the blond and returned the feverish hug. "I'm sorry I worried you, but the snakes needed to have a talk." Looking over at Lucius, he continued, "Salissa realised that you would worry until you knew for sure she meant us no harm. Unfortunately, she is too weak to communicate with you the way she did with me, something about me being a Parselmouth making it easier to form a temporary connection between us. With Eturo helping out, and if you don't fight her, she should be able to talk to you, albeit briefly."

The two men looked both eager and hesitant. They were both extremely interested since this sounded like a new form of magic, something they both were interested in. Yet this was an unknown entity, and they weren't as sure as Harry was that they meant no harm. After all, they had been enslaved for years, wouldn't it stand to reason that they wanted to pay the ones back who had enslaved them? Even if Severus and Lucius weren't the ones tying them to the tattoo, they were the ones who had carried them with them for twenty or so years.

Harry shifted slightly so he was curled up against Draco's side, not ready to leave the feeling of safety the blond provided. Draco was only too happy to wrap an arm securely around the brunet's shoulders.

"All you have to do is place your hand on the other's mark, the snakes will do the rest," Harry said with an encouraging smile.

Severus and Lucius shared a dubious look, but in the end they complied. As their hands touched the tattoos, they both stiffened and their gazes turned vacant.

"Is that how I looked?" Harry asked, beginning to understand a bit better why Draco had been so frantic.

"Yeah. It was creepy as hell," Draco muttered, still feeling unnerved as he remember how unnaturally _still_ his mate had been.

"I'm sorry."

"There's no need to apologise, love. You didn't do it on purpose, and from what you told us, it needed to be done. Just… don't go looking for other spirits to talk to, okay?"

Harry chuckled. "I shall do my best," he promised, settling in for a long wait.

HPDM

Severus slowly became aware of his body making him feel extremely heavy after having been soaring with the spirit snakes. Blinking his eyes, the room slowly came into focus, looking very dull and bland after the clear and vibrant colours on the spirit plane. Giving his head a shake, Severus snapped into the here and now with an almost audible snap.

"Here, this should help," Harry said, pressing a goblet filled with fresh water into the Potions Master's hand.

Severus accepted it gratefully and took a sip. Immediately the parched feeling in his throat disappeared, and he felt less drained and disoriented. Glancing over at Lucius, he noted that Draco was doing the same for his father.

"How long?" Severus croaked.

"Not that long, about half an hour or so," Draco replied, returning to his seat next to Harry, wrapping an arm around his mate. "So how was it?" he asked eagerly.

Severus lifted an eyebrow in surprise; it had felt like a lot longer. "Harry was correct, it _is_ difficult to explain," he mused, feeling the sensations the snakes had given him disappear more and more until they became vague and almost dreamlike.

"With the two of them working together, they managed to return briefly to their natural home and they showed it to us," Lucius said, picking up the tale. He too wore an almost pensive look on his face as the images retreated from his mind as well. The human mind just wasn't meant to experience the brilliance of the spirit plane, and it was protecting itself the only way it knew how, by dimming the experience until it was practically forgotten.

"They also managed to convey that they wished none of us any harm, and that all they want is to return home. Once they are freed, they will summon the Spirit Council and make sure something like this can never happen again. They even might find a way to free those still trapped in the remaining tattoos."

Harry grew thoughtful, trying to phantom what it would mean if they really did manage to remove the Dark Mark. "You said, that first day," he began slowly, trying out the words as he spoke them, "that most of his followers realise that their Lord is mad."

"Yes." Lucius nodded, remembering that conversation as well. It was the first of many instances when Harry had shocked and surprised him, and as he had found out, it would not be the last time that had happened.

"What if we approached those who wanted out? What if we showed them that the Dark Mark _can_ be removed, and with no ill effect to the wearer? Wouldn't that encourage those who already want out to actually get out? The old Pureblood families could hide out in their Manors, couldn't they? And the others should be able to skip out of the country quietly until the war is over," Harry said, getting more and more exited at the thought of robbing Voldemort of some of his key supporters.

Lucius leaned back in his chair, thinking carefully about what the brunet had said. Glancing over at Severus, the blond could see that his mate was considering what he himself was contemplating. Ever since the Dark Lord's return, the more intelligent of his followers had been growing more and more discontent. They had not joined the Dark side to be cursed and subjected to the Unforgivables just because their leader was having a bad day. They had joined because they believed in their world, and because they realised that things had to change if they were to survive and prosper.

The only thing that tied them to Voldemort was the mark on their arms. Too many were terrified of what the maniac would do to them and their loved ones if he ever became suspicious of their true thoughts, and desertion was unthinkable under the current circumstances.

But if the circumstances changed…

"If we could prove that the Dark Mark _can_ be removed safely, I know of several families that would cut their ties with Riddle in a heartbeat. They would not be willing to join with Dumbledore though," Lucius said, giving Harry a measuring look.

Harry shrugged. "I don't want them to join Dumbledore. He would only encourage them to serve him as spies, and since it is a miracle that Severus has survived for as long as he has, I'm not about to put someone else in that position. No, it is enough to rob Voldie of his followers. They made a mistake when they were young, and I for one think they have paid their dues for that mistake. As long as they promise not to aid their former Master in any way, I'm happy to help them," Harry stated, giving Draco a brief smile as the blond squeezed him with the arm wrapped around his shoulders.

"Most, if not all, would agree on those terms." Severus thought aloud, nodding his head slowly. "And I have to agree with you when it comes to Albus, he would not be willing to just let them walk away from the war, not without repaying the Light side in some way for their crimes. He doesn't realise that many of them joined with Riddle just to get away from him and his manipulations. Slytherin House was in an uproar more than once due to the mild punishments given to the Marauders. Dumbledore refused to see that many of those 'pranks' were vicious and anything but good-natured, and most of the other teachers followed his lead," Severus finished a little bitterly, remembering past humiliations at the hands of Potter and his friends. Was it any wonder that he had hated the son of his nemesis? Some wounds just went too deep to heal on their own.

However, some wounds could be healed by cauterizing them. Severus glanced over at the youth snuggled into Draco. In a way that was what had happened when Potter had been picked by the youngest Malfoy Veela. Severus had not been happy, but he had been prepared to make an attempt to tolerate the boy, if only for Draco's sake.

But something had changed when he had read that first essay he'd assigned as homework for the summer. For the first time he had realised that the brat had a brain in his head, something he had been seriously doubting until now.

That one essay had opened him to the possibility that there was more to the boy than a scar and a thirst for fame. That small crack in his shell had allowed him to start to see Harry Potter for who he was, and that was not a clone of his father. Nowadays Severus had a hard time remembering how he could ever have mistaken Potter for being a spoiled attention seeker. _I suppose I was as much a victim of Albus' manipulations as everyone else was. He always delighted in pointing out to me how much like James Harry looked, and how proud that prat would have been over his son. If James was alive today, I think he would have been anything _but _proud of his son. He hated me with a vengeance, and he disliked Lucius almost as much. For the boys to be destined to be together… James would have hit the roof and probably pulled Harry out of Hogwarts and hidden him somewhere, not emerging again until Draco was dead._

Shaking off his sombre mood, Severus refocused on the discussion going on between the other three.

"If we are to lure Riddle's followers away, we first need to make the Sanastosia Potion. I researched it thoroughly yesterday, and I feel confident I should be able to make a first attempt to brew it. Draco, why don't you come with me down to the dungeons? You haven't set foot in a potions lab for well over a week now, we don't want you to lose your touch. Potions is a delicate science and you need to keep on practising the art constantly, or you will soon lose your edge," Severus lectured as he got up from his chair. To tell the truth, he still felt a little unsettled by his earlier experience with the two spirit snakes, and he was in dire need of doing something familiar. Brewing potions were just the cure the Healer recommended.

Draco rolled his eyes good-naturedly, but rose obediently to his feet without complaint. Severus had taken him under his wing and sort of unofficially made him his apprentice. Besides, Draco was not about to say no to an opportunity to spend time with someone he loved doing something he enjoyed immensely. "Want to come along, Harry?" he asked, looking down at the youth, who hadn't budged from his seat.

Harry made a face. "Nah, run along and have fun, I'm going to stay here and read for a bit. I like potions better now that I understand them, but it still isn't my idea of fun," he answered, glancing up at the Potions Master, who merely snorted.

Severus knew not everyone loved potions the way he did. Merlin knew he got proof of that in practically every class he taught. Still, he could not understand how someone could _not_ love the sight of a simmering cauldron, or feel the delight a perfectly made potion inspired.

"Your loss," Draco said with a shrug, doing his best not to show his reluctance to leave Harry alone. "What will you do, Dad?" he asked, turning his attention to his father.

"If Harry doesn't mind the company, I'd like to join him and do a bit of reading myself," Lucius replied, glancing over at Harry, who gave him a small, genuine smile in welcome.

"Good, then that is settled. Draco, come along, the day isn't getting any younger and enough time has been wasted by Albus, forcing us on that wild goose chase," Severus stated, marching towards the door, his mind already on the potion he was gong to attempt to brew.

Draco rolled his eyes once more, eliciting a giggle from his mate, before he followed the Potions Master out the door. There was no point in dawdling when the man was on a mission. Such actions would only be rewarded with him being elbow deep in something disgusting.

HPDM

Lucius allowed his book to flop down on his chest as he took a sip from his wine glass. Looking over to the armchair where Harry was curled up, buried in his own text, he couldn't help but smile. The brunet looked so cute when he was scrunching up his nose in thought as he battled to understand whatever he was reading.

Lucius was well aware that Draco would never have accompanied Severus to the dungeons if he hadn't volunteered to stay here with Harry. The two boys' relationship had progressed nicely, but it was still too early for the Veela to be comfortable with leaving his mate on his own, especially considering how most of the school was lusting over the boy, and considering the hostile environment brewing between Harry and his two former best friends.

Lucius didn't mind being a babysitter one bit, in fact, it fit his plans perfectly. He and Harry needed to talk, and he had a feeling that for this, it was better if Draco wasn't present. He was a bit unsure of how to get the conversation started though. If he was completely honest with himself, this was one talk he was not eager to have. Still, he did not dare allow the matter to fester. Worst coming to worst, they could very well end up with Harry being afraid of him, and that would be a catastrophe.

The blond was so deep in thought he almost dropped his wineglass when Harry suddenly said, "Whatever it is you are agonising over, just get it out, I promise not to take offence."

Lucius looked over at Harry sharply, stunned to find himself under close scrutiny. Smiling ruefully, he put his book and glass aside, turning his full attention to the teen. "I was trying to figure out how to ask you a delicate question," he allowed, quirking an eyebrow.

"Like I said, just get started and we'll take if from there, although I'm guessing what it is you wish to ask me," Harry sighed, not really wanting to discuss this. Not now, not ever.

Lucius merely nodded, not about to let the matter drop. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened on Saturday, I need to know what I did wrong so I can avoid repeating that action in the future."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It was nothing, I overreacted and acted stupid. Don't give it another thought," he said, making another attempt at dropping the subject.

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I can't do that. Something I did yesterday upset you greatly, and I want, no, I need to know what it was I did."

Harry sighed again, leaning his head against the back of the chair. "My uncle called me that. I was never Harry to them, it was always boy or freak. I tend to react badly when someone shouts 'boy' at me, especially if that person is angry. It always meant something unpleasant was about to happen to me… When you shouted that at me the other day, I guess I flipped. It won't happen again, so don't worry about it."

Lucius' heart clenched at the matter of fact manner in which the boy spoke, as if it was an everyday occurrence or something. For all he knew, maybe it had been. "It still doesn't make it alright. I lost my temper and that alone was unforgivable. I'm afraid that the Black Truth is a very sore point to us Malfoys. Draco hit the roof as well, didn't he, when he found out?"

Harry nodded as he remembered. "Yeah, he was shouting at me, waving his arms about, I couldn't understand what he was angry with me for."

Lucius nodded. "It was the vengeance oath prompting his actions, it is a very powerful oath and not to be sworn lightly. Still, his reaction was nothing next to mine, and I'm afraid that Draco underestimated my reactions to it. Since I am the current Lord Malfoy, I am the one holding the full obligation to the oath, one of the reasons I reacted as violently as I did. It still doesn't excuse my behaviour though."

"It's alright, Lucius, I understand, sort of. Like I said, don't give it another thought," Harry said reassuringly, wanting to make the older man feel better.

Lucius gave Harry a stern look. "Why is it alright for you to try and make me feel better, but you won't allow me to do the same?" he asked bluntly. "Stop being so understanding. I was in the wrong, I admit that, and I am trying to apologise to you for it. It is very sweet of you to want to brush the incident aside, but we still need to talk about this. I accidentally stumbled upon a sore point with you, and I need to understand why it is a sore point to make sure I never upset you like that again."

Harry ran a hand through his hair, beginning to feel annoyed. "We all know the Dursleys didn't exactly care about me, why sit around and talk about it ad nauseum? It won't change the fact that they were abusing me. I know it, you know it, hell, Dumbledore knows it. I will never return to them, it is over and done with, let it drop."

"I'm sorry, child, but I can't do that," Lucius said calmly, not taking offence at the tone of Harry's voice. "I'm glad you realise that what those… Muggles did to you wasn't right. It won't go away though, just because you want it to. You need to talk to someone about it, preferably Draco, since he will be hurt if you exclude him from something that personal. He will have to understand though if you don't feel ready to talk to him yet. I am willing to listen and so is Severus. At this stage I don't care much who you talk to, as long as it is _someone_."

Harry snorted. "Like I said, what is there to talk about? Or do you want to hear all the gory details? If that's the case I'm sure Professor Snape will be happy to share what he learned during our so called _Occlumency_ lessons last year," he added spitefully.

"No, Harry, I don't want to hear about the 'gory details', but you still need to talk about this. You were correct in what you said earlier, you cannot afford any weakness and this _is_ a weakness. I can assure you that the Dark Lord will use anything he can against you, he fears you that much. If he ever found out how much your uncle is affecting you, he would kidnap the man and find a way to use him against you the next time you meet.

"Then there is our _Occlumency_ lesson that we will need to begin soon, you will never be able to learn it properly unless you deal with all the unresolved issues you have. The same will go for Draco as well," Lucius added, seeing the mutinous look on Harry's face.

"But I don't _have_ any unresolved issues," Harry spat, starting to get angry.

Lucius merely lifted an eyebrow.

Harry blushed faintly and looked away, refusing to comment.

It was Lucius' turn to sigh; he had known this would be an uphill battle, but did the child have to be so stubborn? "All I'm asking is that you think about it. Poppy told me that the abuse you have suffered has left scars on your body, both on the outside and on the inside where they are not visible. The same thing has been done to your mind. There are scars there that you might not be aware of yourself, which will nevertheless appear at the most inconvenient moments. We all need to be aware of that, and prepare to deal with it when it happens, and it _will_ happen. We will be very fortunate indeed, if all we have to deal with is your adverse reactions to anger and the word 'boy'." Lucius stated solemnly.

Harry stared into space while he listened to what the elder Malfoy had to say. He didn't like it, but he had to agree it made sense. He knew his childhood had left him with mental scars, he just didn't like having someone else pointing that out to him, especially someone who, until a few days ago, was someone he regarded as an enemy. Merlin, could his life get anymore confusing?

"I'll think about it," Harry grudgingly agreed when the silence in the room was beginning to get oppressive.

"Thank you, that is all I'm asking," Lucius said with a pleased smile.

Harry snorted but did not comment; instead, he picked his book up and turned it around, holding it out to the blond. "Could you please explain something to me? The author claims that to be able to do this charm, you need to focus on a happy memory, but I thought it was only the _Patronus Charm_ that worked that way. As far as I can tell, there is no similarity whatsoever between the _Patronus_ and this levitation spell, so why the need for the happy thought?"

Lucius looked the passage over and then began to explain the basics for the charm, happy that Harry wasn't going to sulk or had thrown a snit. It would have been understandable if he had, and the aristocrat was one more struck by how mature the boy sitting opposite him was.

HPDM

When Harry crawled into bed later that night and snuggled down under the soft covers, the conversation with Lucius popped back into his mind. It annoyed him how right Malfoy had been. He _did_ have issues with his childhood, not to mention a lot of lingering anger that no one had _done_ anything. Up until now, he had always come up with excuses for those close to him. 'They didn't know' was the most popular one he had hidden behind. Unfortunately, his safe haven was turning into a sink hole. They had known, and they had all been content to let things stay the way they were. What did it matter as long as he was 'their' Harry and came to their rescue when the situation called for it?

None of the people he had counted on had cared about him, only what they could get from him. It was a sobering realisation, and Harry hadn't been prepared for how much the knowledge _hurt_.

Closely followed by that hurt was anger. No, not anger, fury. What right did they have to condemn him to a life in hell? What right did Dumbledore have to treat him the way he had? And then have the _gall_ to hide behind some excuse that he wanted Harry to have a childhood! And Ron and Hermione, how dare they come whining to him about their miserable summer when they knew fully well what his summers were like?

How pathetic was it that the only one who cared about him was Draco Malfoy? Suddenly feeling overwhelmed, Harry turned over and buried his head in his pillow, not wanting to think anymore. Unfortunately, his brain didn't cooperate and happily continued to point out each and every time his friends had turned a blind eye to what was going on.

Suddenly a hand was placed on his back, causing him to jump and sit up, wand in hand aimed at the intruder. Only to come nose to nose with Draco Malfoy. "What are you doing here?" Harry asked, mortified at how raspy and tight his voice sounded.

"I felt your distress and I couldn't sleep," Draco explained. "Want to talk about it?"

Harry snorted, belatedly lowering his wand. "No."

Draco merely shrugged and pulled the other boy into a hug, ignoring the way he stiffened. Placing his head on Harry's shoulder, the blond took a deep breath, breathing in the unique aroma of his mate, and waited.

After a while, Harry relaxed a little and placed his own head on Draco's shoulder with a soft sigh. He wasn't sure what it was the other boy was doing, but what ever it was, it was shutting his brain off and that was all Harry wanted at the moment. Sighing deeply, he relaxed further, allowing Draco to take more of his weight, and before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

Draco smiled softly and gently ran his fingers through Harry's hair. He had managed to calm his mate down and get him to relax, two sure signs that Harry was accepting him, and it filled the Veela's heart with happiness and contentment. Moving carefully, he manoeuvred the two of them into lying positions and it didn't take long before he had followed Harry into dreamland.

* * *

**Next Time:  
**Pansy finds out why you shouldn't make Harry angry.  
Stay Tuned… 


	27. Consequences of Making Harry Angry

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

**A/N:** I invented the ritual mentioned below. I hope I haven't offended anyone since that was not my intent.

A BIG thank you to all you wonderful people who has reviewed my story. You totally make my day!

Thank you Vaughn for being my Beta. Any mistakes left are my own.

**

* * *

Consequences of Making Harry Potter Angry**

**Day 9: Tuesday**

Harry woke slowly the next morning, vaguely surprised at how comfortable and safe he felt. He didn't think he had ever felt this good and he couldn't help but wonder what had caused this feeling. Opening a bleary eye to investigate, Harry was astonished to find Draco peacefully sleeping next to him. Blinking both eyes open, he noted that yes, the Veela really was sleeping next to him. Casting his mind back, Harry tried to figure out why. Had he had another nightmare? Shouldn't he remember it if that was the case? Especially if it was bad enough to have made Draco come running?

"Morning, slept well?" Draco asked sleepily, luxuriating in being so close to his mate.

"Um, yeah, I think so," Harry murmured, still trying to figure out what had happened. Then he remembered and he allowed his head to drop back onto the pillow. How utterly humiliating, not being able to go to sleep without a hug, as if he was some baby.

"Whatever you are thinking, stop it this instance!" Draco ordered sternly, "you are interrupting my basking."

"I'm what?" Harry asked, utterly baffled.

"I'm trying to enjoy my first night in your bed," Draco patiently explained, still snuggled down next to Harry, his arm around the other boy's chest, revelling in the warmth. "I don't know what you were thinking, but the bad vibes are interfering, just thought you might want to know," he added graciously.

Harry stared up at the ceiling in disbelief, then he broke down into giggles. This was just too surreal! "I'm so sorry to disturb you, your highness, let me know when it is safe to start thinking."

Draco's reply was a sharp poke in the ribs with a pointy index finger. "I don't mind you thinking, you prat, but I do mind when you get all tensed up and start thinking that you've done something wrong. So you needed a hug last night, so what? I've needed a hug lots of times and neither father nor Severus think any less of me, so why should you? Unless you think you should be above such things?" he demanded, causing Harry to sigh.

"No, I don't think I'm above needing a hug. The point is that I shouldn't need it!"

Draco considered the statement for a moment. Rising up on an elbow so he could see his mate's face, he said, "That made no sense whatsoever, you know that right?"

Harry groaned in annoyance, it did too make sense. "What I meant was that nothing happened yesterday to make me feel like I'd need a hug," he answered patiently.

Draco merely shrugged and snuggled back down. "Then I guess the two of us will have to agree to disagree," was all he said, pulling Harry close for some more basking.

Harry wasn't sure how he felt about that, but he was too comfortable to make a fuss so he too snuggled down and drowsed for a few more minutes.

The alarm clock put an end to their lay in when it went off a few minutes later, causing Harry to start, and Draco to almost jump out of his skin.

"Salazar and his snakes, what was that?" the blond demanded when he had gotten his wildly beating heart somewhat under control.

"That was my alarm clock," Harry replied with a grin.

"That thing could wake the dead!" Draco complained, "Are you that much of a hard sleeper?"

"Ron gave it to me last Christmas; he said he was sick and tired of trying to wake me up in the mornings. I'm usually a light sleeper, but what with the visions and the nightmares I suffered from last year, once I was asleep, I tended to stay asleep," Harry said somewhat sheepishly, crawling out of the bed.

Draco merely snorted, but made a mental note to get Harry a new clock. One that didn't give you a heart attack while wakening you up. Stretching, the blond got up out of bed as well and headed into his own bedroom to get ready for new day. A hot shower did wonders to wake him up fully and he looked through the clothes his father had bought the previous day, finally deciding on the set made in lilac, finishing off the ensemble with an off-white turtleneck.

Walking back into the living room, he was somewhat startled to see Harry sitting slumped in a chair at the table, but he was momentarily distracted by the way he was looking dressed in deep navy-blue leather and a white velvet turtleneck. When his gaze landed on Harry's face, however, Draco frowned at the pensive look he was sporting. Walking over to him, feeling a tendril of worry, Draco asked, "Is something the matter?"

"Yeah," Harry said with a sigh. "I just remembered. Dumbledore is expecting us to spend time with the prat and her pratiness. Only I utterly and category refuse to spend a second more with them than I have to. He can't force me to socialize with them, can he?" Harry asked, sending a searching look at Draco.

Draco wrapped his arms around his forlorn mate and shook his head. "No, love, he can't. He might be the Headmaster of this school, but he can't dictate how you spend your time," he said reassuringly.

"He's gonna do his level best though," Harry stated glumly, not in the mood to be cheered up.

It was Draco's turn to sigh as he pulled up a chair next to the one Harry was sitting in. "I know he will do his best to try and control you. Merlin knows he's done his best to do so in the past. But your heard Severus and father yesterday, it won't be long now before they are free and we can leave here. Just grit your teeth and remember that, okay?"

"I suppose…" Harry nodded. Taking hold of one of Draco's hands, he began toying with the fingers.

"You don't like that idea, why not? You would never have to deal with Dumbles or your friends ever again," Draco demanded, secretly pleased with the way Harry was touching him, as if it was something natural.

"You're going to think I'm crazy, but I don't like that solution," Harry admitted somewhat reluctantly. "It feels too much like running away. True, I would get away from Dumbledore and his manipulations, but at the same time we'll leave the school wide open to him. Just think about it," Harry said eagerly, warming up to his topic, "with Severus gone, who will protect the Slytherins? We all know the extremes that man is prepared to go to, he didn't even protest when Si-sirius sent Sev after Remus during the full moon that time. If he needs a rallying point, what will stop him form using the Snake House to gain the support of the other three Houses?"

Draco sat back, feeling a little stunned and somewhat nauseated. What Harry was saying was true, although he had a hard time believing that Dumbledore would ever go _that_ far. But if he lost Harry… Draco shook his head and determinedly pushed the unsettling thoughts to the back of his mind. Now was not the time for such worries.

Turning his attention to his mate, Draco tried to come up with something that would ensure that Harry wouldn't have to spend any more time with Granger and the Weasel than he had to. Thinking back to the recent most unpleasant meeting with Dumbledore, his silvery eyes lit up in delight. "Harry!" he said, giving the other boy a slight shake. "Harry, you don't have to spend any time at all with Granger and Weasley, not if you don't want to."

Harry gave Draco a confused look. "But Dumbledore said –"

"Dumbles ordered you to spend time with your friends," Draco said eagerly. "He never specified _who_ those friends were."

Harry broke into a grin, which was swiftly followed with a happy laugh. "Hey! You're right, he did say friends, didn't he? 'Your friends', even." The grin morphed into a mischievous one. "So, wanna go and see what Blaise is up to?"

Draco blinked. "Blaise?" he asked, trying to understand Harry's reasoning.

"Yeah, he is _your_ friend, right?" Harry asked with a giggle, placing emphasis on the word 'your'. "Besides," he added growing serious again, "it isn't like I can go to the Gryffindor Tower and ask to see Neville, now can I? Ron and Hermione would go ballistic and demand I spend the time with them, or they will run off to Dumbledore and complain. They will probably do that anyway, but the longer we can hold them off, the better."

It was Draco's turn to laugh. Harry was turning more and more into a Slytherin, and Draco couldn't be more proud of him. Slowly the other boy was relaxing and daring to show the side he had kept hidden for so long. Standing up, he urged Harry to do the same. "Yeah, let's go and see if Blaise is awake yet. If he isn't, I know just the trick to get him out of bed."

"Oh? Want to share?"

"Nah, I might need to use it on you some day," Draco said, wrapping his arm around Harry's slim shoulders.

Harry snorted but cuddled into Draco's side, surprised at how good it felt to stay so close to someone. He had never felt comfortable before with people touching him, it had always made his skin crawl. When Draco was touching him though, it filled him with a sense of peace. Deciding not to attempt to analyse why, Harry just revelled in the feeling as they made their way down to the dungeons.

HPDM

They arrived at the doorway to the Slytherin common room unmolested and unaccosted. Since it was so early in the morning, not many students were up and about, and the ones who were, were more set on getting their breakfast rather than keeping a lookout for Harry Potter.

"What is _he_ doing here?" Pansy asked shrilly, being the first who had noticed that they had entered the common room.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Do we have to go through this every time I come for a visit?" he asked with a longsuffering sigh. "I am Draco's mate, and as such, I am allowed to come down here whenever I want," he said slowly, as if he was talking to a small child. "There, do you think you will remember that until next time, or should we start hexing each other so you can earn yourself another two week's worth of detentions with Professor Snape?"

Pansy narrowed her eyes in anger and drew her wand. She was going to show that upstart just who was the Queen of Slytherin. Gathering her magic, she was about to let loose a nasty hex when Harry nudged Draco in the side and said in a stage whisper that could be heard by everyone in the room, "Considering how eager she is to get detentions with Professor Snape, do you think she fancies him?"

When Pansy's mind had registered what Potter had said, she let loose a shriek of pure rage, and forgetting she was a witch altogether, she launched herself at the intolerable brunet. Dropping her wand, she went for the green eyes that were mocking her, slashing at Potter's face with her claw like nails, all the while screaming and spitting, doing a remarkable imitation of a bobcat.

The two boys were, at first, frozen in shock; never in a million years had they expected Parkinson to react in such a manner. When she launched herself at Harry though, they quickly unfroze and Draco snarled in anger, grabbing hold of the flailing arms, pushing her away from his mate as hard as he could.

Harry also came to life, drawing his wand and sending several spells at the girl before she could regain her footing from where she had ended up sprawled on the floor after Draco's push. Advancing on Pansy, his green eyes narrowed in annoyance and his magic crackling around him, Harry bent down and picked the transformed girl up. "Consider this your last warning, you bitch! Draco Malfoy will _never_ be yours! You will not come near either of us ever again. If you should choose to ignore this warning, I will show you what I am capable of. There was a reason _I_ was chosen to be Draco's mate and not you. You do not want to test my patience. Do. You. Understand? Nod if you do. Oh, I forgot, you can't nod, can you?" Harry snickered.

"What is going on in here?" Severus demanded, sweeping into the common room, not surprised to see most of his snakes present. Seeing Harry holding a fluffy, neon pink teddy bear was a bit shocking, however. "Why did my 'student in danger'-alarm go off just now?" he asked, since from the look of things, everything was calm. Then he noted the wand on the floor and he gave the brunet a pointed look.

"Hey, don't look at me," Harry protested. "I didn't start anything!"

Severus sighed. "You never do, Potter. What happened this time?"

Draco snorted, walking over to where his mate was standing. Wrapping an arm around his shoulders -- the Veela was getting addicted to having the other boy so close to him -- and taking the bear out of his hands. "Pansy is what happened," he said with disdain, throwing the toy into the air and catching it again.

"And what did Miss Parkinson do this time? Where is she, by the way?" Severus added, surprised he couldn't see her. It was not like the witch to leave a confrontation, especially not without her wand.

"Nothing much," Draco said causally. "She was about to start an argument with Harry again, and then she was about to hex him."

"Yeah, and Potter asked if she fancied you since she seemed so eager to earn herself more detentions with you, Severus," Blaise said, ambling over to where his friend was standing, sniggering along with half the common room.

Severus groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. He had a feeling that he didn't want to know what had happened next.

Draco was sniggering as well. "Apparently she didn't like having her infatuation displayed for everyone to hear, because she attacked Harry, trying to claw his eyes out. I pushed her away and Harry cursed her so she couldn't do anymore damage," he finished the tale, allowing Blaise to catch the bear so he could examine it more closely. Zabini might suck at Transfiguration, but he was fascinated by the subject and loved to study things that had been transformed, trying to figure out how it had been done.

"What did you do to her?" Severus asked with some trepidation. He had seen firsthand what the boy could do when angered, and by the sounds of it, Parkinson had managed to anger Potter severely. From the strength of his alarm, he had first believed that several of his snakes had been involved in an all out duel at the very least.

"Oh, not much," Harry smirked. "I just made sure she wasn't a danger to either me or Draco." He looked over to where Blaise was standing and Severus followed the look. Seeing the bear, Severus suddenly _knew_ what had happened to Pansy. Closing his eyes, the Head of Slytherin took several deep breaths in an attempt to stem the conflicting emotions rising within him. On one hand, he wanted to laugh his head off at the suitable punishment, but on the other hand, he was furious with the boy for doing something as dangerous and stupid like that. One wrong move and he could have killed the foolish girl; how was he supposed to change their world from a cell in Azkaban? On the third hand, he was fighting a surge of panic over what Dumbledore would say when he found out what Harry had done, not to mention how delighted the Dark Lord would be over this, taking it as a sign that the boy was going Dark.

"Give her to me," he ordered calmly, once he had his voice under control.

Blaise quickly complied and handed the pink bear over.

Grabbing the toy carefully yet firmly, Severus gave Potter a glare. "I do not approve of the way you handled the situation. You are very fortunate indeed that you didn't kill Miss Parkinson with your spell. Twenty five points from Gryffindor and a detention with me." With a last dark look, he swept from the common room, heading for the hospital wing. He wasn't about to try and restore the foolish girl himself, and he knew that Harry wasn't going to do it, not while he was still angry. Unfortunately, Harry was quick to anger these days and slow to forgive. Albus really should have taken the time to get to know the boy during the summer, to find out what had triggered his change, and not merely brush it off as grieving for the mutt.

Severus shook his head in sorrow. When had the man he had come to know and love as a mentor changed so much? Had Albus always been this ruthless and manipulative? Had he manipulated Severus along with others, or was it just Harry Potter that brought out that side of the man? The Potions Master didn't know, and frankly, he wasn't sure he wanted to know. What he did know was that Harry had extended his hand in friendship with people he had no reason to ever consider friends, and had all the reasons to view as enemies. He had even attempted and found a way to remove the Dark Mark, something Albus had never done.

The boy was a true gem, always more concerned for others than for himself. He was fortunate that Draco had picked him as his mate, since the Veela would make sure Harry was well cared for and wanting for nothing. And he would do his level best to ensure that no one was taking advantage of the kind-hearted boy.

Pushing the thoughts to the back of his mind as he arrived to the infirmary, Severus opened the doors with a bang and swept inside as if he owned the place.

"Severus! You scared me half to death! What is the emergency?" Poppy snapped, coming out of her office. Seeing no one with the dour professor, she returned her attention to him, noticing the bear for the first time. "A pink teddy bear, Severus? I would have thought you were more into black rather than pink," she commented, lifting an eyebrow, her lips twitching.

Severus snorted and placed the bear with exaggerated care on the nearest bed, suppressing the urge to just throw the toy onto it.

Poppy blanched. "Don't tell me…"

"That is Miss Parkinson. I trust you will be able to change her back to her not so charming self?"

Poppy pulled out her wand and cast several diagnostic charms. "Merlin help us, that really is a student! I will need Minerva, she is far more skilled with accidental Transfigurations than I am. We will need to inform the Headmaster as well…" Pomfrey muttered to herself as she headed for her office in a daze.

Severus snorted and wished he could head down to his beloved dungeons, but he knew Albus would want to know what had happened. Snapping his fingers, he waited for one of the house-elves to appear.

"Master Professor called?"

"Yes, find Lucius Malfoy and tell him to come to here immediately," Severus ordered.

The elf nodded and popped away.

"Severus? Poppy said a student had been transfigured?" Minerva asked as she walked through the doors to the hospital wing.

Severus merely pointed at the pink toy and stood back as McGonagall bent forward to examine the bear. "Oh my, that really is a student. Whoever did this was extremely powerful and had complete control of his magic." Straightening she turned her attention on her colleague. "Who did this?"

"Who else? Harry Potter."

"Oh dear," Minerva muttered, sinking down on the bed, narrowingly missing sitting down on the bear.

HPDM

"That was absolutely wicked!" Blaise said with admiration, turning towards Harry once Severus was gone.

"Yeah, whatever gave you idea to use those spells together like that?" Theodore Nott asked, looking at Harry with both admiration and lust, causing Draco to bristle and pull Harry close to him.

Harry chuckled. "Would you believe me if I told you that that 'spell' was 'invented' by a nine-year old who didn't like his tutors?"

"What?" several voices cried out from all over the common room.

Harry nodded and his chuckle grew into a full-blown laugh. "Yeah, he had a reputation of being a spoilt brat and a true terror to those he didn't like. His parents employed several tutors, but most didn't last a week. They just up and disappeared one day. The parents grew annoyed, of course, but they never bothered to hunt the tutors down to demand an explanation, they just hired a new one, and a new one, and a new one.

"Then the boy's grandparents arrived for a prolonged stay, and one day his grandmother poked her head around his bed- and playroom, discovering several toys with a strange feel to them. She gathered them up and brought them to her rooms, and later that night she showed them to her husband, who happened to be a Spellcrafter. It took him several days, but eventually he figured out what his grandson had done and the unfortunate tutors were freed from their prisons."

"What happened to the kid?" Blaise asked, not believing his ears.

"He was brought before the Ministry and eventually it was decided that he would have to apologise to his tutors, and as punishment, his magic was bound until such a time that he could prove that he no longer was a spoilt brat. He was also placed in his grandparents' care, since his parents clearly weren't up to dealing with him."

"Did they ever unbind his magic?" a little girl asked, looking up at Harry with wide eyes.

"As a matter of fact, they did. The boy eventually came to realise how horrible he had been, and he set out to do something nice to every person he had turned into a toy. He then went into politics, and in 1398, he became Minister of Magic."

"1398? That was the year Antares Black became Minister. You mean to tell us that the Minister of Magic that is known to this day as 'Antares the Just' was such a brat as a child?" Nott asked in disbelief.

"Yep. He was determined to repent for his actions as a child, and he wanted to make sure no one else would suffer the way those tutors had, so he worked will all his might to make our world a better place. Too bad Fudge isn't following his example," Harry added with an angry frown.

"If anyone is an idiot, it's that incompetent fool," Nott snorted, and that was the trigger to a discussion of all the foolish things Fudge had done during his time as Minister, and a few things he'd done before his elevation to that position.

Harry sat snuggled up to Draco's side, listening avidly, committing the more serious offences to memory. _Trust a Slytherin to know what is going on in the political world_, Harry thought. _Ron wouldn't have known even a fraction of all the things that were discussed that morning, in spite of having a father working at the Ministry._

It was with regret that he left when the summon came ordering him to meet with the Headmaster.

HPDM

Lucius strode into the infirmary, not pleased with being summoned here so early in the morning. From the lack of urgency in the message, he was assuming that nothing life threatening had happened to either of the boys; still, Severus could have been a bit more specific about what exactly had happened. At least he wasn't getting any alarm signals from his necklace.

"You wanted to see me?" he drawled, lifting an eyebrow at the mass of people gathered around one of the beds. Poppy he had expected to see there, as well as Severus, and possibly Dumbledore. He had not been expecting McGonagall, or the official looking employees from St Mungo's and the Ministry.

"Ah, Lucius, I'm afraid we have a somewhat sticky situation," Dumbledore said, gesturing for him to come closer.

Lucius approached the bed and stared dumbly down at the fluffy, very pink teddy bear resting on the pillow. Looking over at Severus, he lifted his eyebrow in silent inquiry.

"That," Severus said with a heavy sigh, "is Pansy Parkinson."

Lucius looked back down at the pillow with disbelief. "It is too early for this to be a class accident, so what happened?"

"Apparently, young Harry took it upon himself to curse Miss Parkinson," Dumbledore said gravely. "If we can not reverse the magic he used, I'm afraid he will be expelled from Hogwarts, possibly even end up in Azkaban."

Lucius snorted derisively. "Are you trying to tell me that a sixteen year old managed to cast a curse, hex, or spell so strong that you can not undo it? I find that extremely difficult to believe. Do you even have proof it was Mr. Potter that cast whatever spell that was used?"

Dumbledore glanced over at Pomfrey and McGonagall, who both shook their heads minutely; neither of the women recognized the magical signature on the toy. It was similar to Harry's signature, and yet it wasn't his. "Severus?" he next asked, looking over at the professor.

"I did not see the confrontation. I was in my chambers when an alarm alerted me that something was wrong in the common room. When I arrived most of the students were present along with Mr. Potter, and that was on the floor," Severus explained.

"Then why are you trying to pin the blame on Harry Potter?" Lucius demanded to know. "Have you even asked the boy, or any of the students, for that matter, what exactly happened? No? Don't you think you should before determining who is guilty and who is innocent? Or has Hogwarts changed its policy on that subject?"

"Lord Malfoy is quite correct," one of the Ministry officials said before Dumbledore could open his mouth. "I suggest we call the students involved in this incident to an informal hearing so we can find out what exactly happened. Mere speculations will not get us very far."

"Yes, of course. We could use my office if you like," Albus said, determined to take charge of the situation once more. If he was fortunate, he could use this situation to get Harry indebted to him for keeping him out of trouble with the Ministry. If Fudge heard of this, the Minister would use this to get rid of his archenemy once and for all. He was still ranting about being unable to expel the youth for unlawful use of magic during the summer before his fifth year.

"No offence, Headmaster, but your office is too small. How about the antechamber next to the Great Hall?" Lucius suggested smoothly. "That way the children won't risk missing out on their breakfast."

A short conference later, and most of the people were leaving the hospital wing and heading down to the antechamber.

HPDM

"You sent for me, sir?" Harry asked, stepping into the room which held no fond memories for him. Shrugging off the memory of the Triwizard Tournament with determination, Harry looked around the room, a bit surprised at the number of people present.

"Yes, my dear boy. Come and have a seat." Dumbledore smiled jovially, causing Harry's hackles to rise and his suspicion to increase tenfold.

Draco felt his reaction and casually placed his arm around Harry's shoulders, quietly offering his support.

Silently the two boys settled into the empty chairs before Dumbledore. Once seated, Lucius came and took up vigil behind them, placing a calming hand one each boy's shoulder.

"Harry, we understand you had an altercation with Miss Parkinson. Could you tell us what happened?" Dumbledore asked gravely, looking sternly at the green-eyed youth before him, wanting to convey to him the seriousness of the situation.

Harry frowned, not liking the feelings he was picking up. "What is going on, sir? Why are there people from the Ministry present?"

"Just answer the questions, Harry," Dumbledore admonished.

Harry stubbornly folded his arms across his chest and slowly shook his head. "No. Not until I know what is going on."

"We need to know what you did to Pansy Parkinson so we can change her back, now stop being childish and answer our questions," Dumbledore said sternly, sending his most disapproving look at Harry.

"Unlike two years ago, I am now well aware of my rights," Harry stated, ignoring the disapproving stare with ease. Dumbledore had sent him so many during the summer that Harry had become immune to them. "If I am accused of something, then I demand a solicitor. If I am not accused, then I demand that the Ministry employees leave the room; they have no business being here."

"Harry, as I said, we need to find out what happened to Miss Parkinson so we can change her back. If we find that you inappropriately used magic, then an official hearing will be needed."

"So I _am_ accused of something," Harry said almost triumphantly. "Then I demand a solicitor be present to protect my rights."

"Harry, don't be silly. No one here is trying to harm you, we just need to know what happened," Dumbledore said, growing impatient.

Harry merely settled back in his chair, a mulish look on his face.

For several minutes no one said a word, everyone waiting for someone else to say something. Eventually Lucius decided to break the silence. "The boy is within his rights to demand a solicitor to be present, since he clearly is not prepared to speak unless his demand is fulfilled, shall I summon one?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Lucius, there is no need for a solicitor! Harry, I demand that you tell us what happened in the Slytherin common room. What where you doing there anyway? I was under the impression that you would spend time with your friends this morning?"

"I am not going to answer any of your questions until I know that my rights are being protected," Harry said, his mulish look deepening to a firm scowl.

"Harry, child, no one in this room wants to persecute you," Dumbledore said with a tired sigh. Of all the times for Harry to be stubborn, he had to pick now! Albus was seriously rethinking his decision to encourage the boy to accept Malfoy. Clearly the two Slytherins had managed to get a greater hold on the boy's loyalties than he had thought possible. He needed to break that hold and quickly, or all would be lost.

"Is that what you told Hagrid? Is that why you didn't stop the trial Minister Fudge put me on? Excuse me, Headmaster, but after you allowed that toad Umbridge to take over the school last year, not even stepping in when she was torturing her students, pardon me for not believing that you have my best interests at heart," Harry snorted. Standing up, he took hold of Draco's hand and pulled. "Come on, Draco, we are not staying here."

"Harry, sit back down this instance! We are not finished here," Albus thundered, allowing his magic to flare in an attempt to subdue Potter to do his biddings.

Harry glared at his former mentor, and Draco could feel the first stirrings of a breeze whip around them. Casting a panicked look at his father, he wrapped his arms around his mate, attempting to calm him down. Now was neither the time nor place for Harry to lose his temper.

Lucius figured it was time he stepped in. He had wanted to let Harry take the lead, to show the Ministry officials that he was not controlling the boy's actions, but enough was enough. "My son's mate has stated his wishes, and what he is asking for is within his rights. Either I call in a solicitor, or this 'meeting' is over."

Dumbledore looked like he was about to hex the older Malfoy, only the whispered conference going on between the Ministry workers stopped him.

"Since we need to know the details of what happened here this morning to save the life of a student, we will agree to have a solicitor sent for, especially since it is within the boy's rights. Lord Malfoy, do you have someone in mind, or should we send for one of the public lawyers?"

"I will send for my own solicitor," Lucius stated, already scribbling a note for Mercury. Summoning a house-elf, he gave the note to the creature and sent it on its way.

Ten minutes later, a windblown and an out of breath Mercury Malfoy arrived, glaring around the room, taking immediate charge of the situation. "Right, Mr. Potter, if you would be so kind and come with me?" he said, gesturing for Harry to come over to him.

Harry obeyed the command and walked up to the stranger, Draco at his side.

Once the boys were away from the group, Mercury put up a privacy screen, making sure to make it opaque so no one could see what was happening. He would not put it past Dumbledore to use lip-reading in an attempt to find out what was going on.

"Right," he said briskly, "first of all, I want to welcome you to the family, Mr. Potter. I am Mercury Malfoy, and yes, I'm related to Lucius Malfoy; we are cousins, in fact. I'm afraid any further greetings will have to wait. What has happened for this gathering to occur?"

Harry shook his head in amusement. Suddenly Malfoys were crawling out of the woodwork, and all of them seemed very likable. What was next? Would he be surrounded by Snapes now, all of them determined to befriend him?

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Malfoy, and please, call me Harry," Harry said with a warm smile.

"Only if you call me Mercury," Mercury injected.

"Thanks, as for what's happening here, beats me," Harry said with a shrug. "I had a disagreement with Pansy, eh, Parkinson, are you familiar with her?"

"Yes, unfortunately. What happened?"

So Harry told of the altercation, with lots of input from Draco when the blond felt Harry was leaving too many details out.

"I see," Mercury said, his lips twitching in amusement, but he did his best to appear serious. This was not the time to laugh. "But why the need for this gathering? It sounds like a case of self-defence, you might have gone a bit overboard, but then again, she was provoking you," Mercury mused.

"I don't know, we never got that far," Harry admitted.

"Well then, let's see if we can't straighten out this mess. Don't worry, boys, leave everything to me," Mercury said, rubbing his hands together. He loved a good fight, especially when it looked like he would win before the argument had even begun.

"Gentlemen," he said, addressing the gathered officials the moment the screen had been taken down. "I fail to see the need for this gathering and would like some explanations as to why you have seen fit to attempt to punish a youth that was merely defending himself."

"Defending himself! He transfigured a fellow year mate into a teddy bear!" one of the Ministry officials protested heatedly.

Mercury blinked. "I didn't think they had learned how to do full human transfiguration yet. Isn't that something that is taught in seventh year?" he asked in surprise, casting a glance at Dumbledore.

"It doesn't matter what year they learn such magic," the official snorted with contempt. "The point is that the boy did it! Such an offence is punishable with expulsion, suspension at the very least!" he added with a sniff.

Mercury looked down at Harry. "I'm beginning to see why you wanted me present," he said, placing a calming hand on the teen's shoulder. "So you have already convicted and condemned Mr. Potter here, without even hearing his side of the argument? Lovely, I'll be sure to mention this to Madam Bones the next time we speak. I thought we had learned our lesson with Sirius Black, but apparently not. Very well, since you are all so set on punishing this young man, there isn't anything more we can do here now. Lucius, I suggest you withdraw the boys from Hogwarts while I set up a date for an official hearing with Madam Bones."

"Now wait here," Dumbledore protested, "no one is trying to convict Harry, we only need to know what magic he used, since none of the Healers can reverse it."

Mercury lifted an eyebrow in a very Malfoyish manner, proving without a doubt that he was a member of that family. "Are you implying that a sixteen year old boy is capable of doing magic no Healer can reverse? I find that extremely difficult to believe," he said, his voice laced with scorn.

"Believe what you wish, the fact remains that the Healers can not undo whatever Dark curse that boy used."

Harry bristled and started to stalk over to the official who had sprouted that piece of nonsense. He was stopped by two sets of hands on his arms though, and he turned his ire onto the Malfoys. "I didn't use any Dark magic!" he gritted out through clenched teeth.

"I'm sure you didn't," Mercury soothed, glaring daggers at the official. "I find that I wish to see the result of this magic myself. I take it the girl is in the hospital wing?"

"Yes, she is," Dumbledore nodded. "Shall we go back up there and find out what progress has been made?" Without waiting for a reply, the aged wizard got to his feet and swept out of the room.

This was turning into a catastrophe! If people began to think that Harry had used Dark Magic, then there really was nothing Albus could do for him. Considering the time the teen had spent reading in the Black library, it was possible the boy had begun to dabble in the Arts. On the other hand, none of the wards set up to warn him when someone used the Dark Arts had gone off, so maybe Harry was still safe.

However, as soon as this unfortunate incident was dealt with, he would have to find a way to keep a closer eye on Harry, a much closer eye. It was clear that he had given the boy too much freedom, and that had given the child ideas that needed to be nipped in the bud.

"Have you made any progress?" Albus asked, walking into the infirmary.

"No, Albus, we still can't figure out how the poor girl was transfigured into a toy bear," Poppy said, coming towards them, abandoning her place around the bed.

Harry snorted and rolled his eyes. "Idiots, the lot of them," he muttered under his breath.

Draco heard him though and gave him a small smile in agreement.

Mercury stepped up to the bed and took a look at the bear that had given everyone such trouble. "Hmm, interesting colour," he commented, secretly thinking it served the girl right.

"Is that all you have to say!" one of the Healers demanded in outrage. "The poor girl was subjected to a rare Dark curse and all you can do is comment on the colour she's been turned into!"

Harry had had enough and stalked up to the bed. The breeze was back and it whipped at his hair. "Will you quit it with the Dark Arts crap?" he demanded. "No wonder you can't turn her back! _Finite Incateratum_," Harry said, pointing his wand at the bear. "There, that took care of the spell resisting the _Finite Incantatem_. _Finite Incantatem, _and that took care of the spell turning her clothes into a teddy bear costume, and the paralysing spell," Harry continued his lecture. Next he cast the counters for the shrinking spell, and the spell rendering Pansy mute.

When he had finished the witch was back to her natural size and looks, minus her clothes that had unfortunately disappeared when Harry cancelled the spell on them, causing Pansy to squeak and turn red in embarrassment, and Poppy to jump forward with a blanket to cover the unfortunate girl up. Everyone else just looked at him in awe or astonishment.

"You mean you hadn't transfigured her?" one of the Healers asked in disbelief.

"Of course not! Have you any idea how difficult that is? Not to mention dangerous?" Harry replied, his voice still filled with scorn. "Now, if no one else wishes to accuse me of something I didn't do, I'm heading down to get some breakfast." With that, the brunet left the infirmary, Draco close on his heels.

Albus opened his mouth, but closed it again without saying anything. There was still the matter of Harry's punishment, but that was probably better dealt with in private.

"Are you all satisfied that no Dark Arts were involved in this?" Mercury asked, looking around the room. "Good, then I suggest this whole matter be dropped. It might have been a bit extreme, but Harry Potter did nothing but defend himself and his boyfriend."

"Boyfriend? I thought Draco was the Veela?" one of the officials asked in confusion.

Mercury raised an eyebrow. "So what if he is? You didn't think the emotions were one-sided, did you? Harry has just as much a right to defend his boyfriend as Draco has to defend his mate. Let this be a warning to you, young girl, stop lusting after Draco Malfoy or risk being subjected to something worse than this," Mercury warned, turning his attention to a fuming Pansy.

"I want that menace punished for what he did to me!" Pansy cried, ignoring the warning she'd been given. "He humiliated me, and attacked me, and I want him to pay for that!"

Lucius gave her a long and searching look. It was clear to him that she had learned nothing from this experience. "You realise of course, that if Harry Potter is punished for what he did, you will have to be punished for what you did?" he asked, attempting to get through to her thick skull before one of the Ministry people could meddle any further.

"I didn't do anything!" Pansy protested indignantly.

"No? So you didn't attack Harry, attempting to claw his eyes out?" Mercury asked since he knew his cousin probably didn't know that little fact.

Pansy blushed and looked away, not making any comments.

"I thought so. I suggest we allow the matter to drop. No good could come from pursuing the matter further," Mercury said, looking out over the room.

Most of the people gathered around the bed looked like they wanted to protest, but they were also aware of that they didn't have a true base for further accusations against Potter, and reluctantly they nodded in agreement.

"Good. Then, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I'm going to get some breakfast. Lucius, would you mind some company this morning?"

"Not at all, dear cousin. Come this way," Lucius said grandly, gesturing for his relative to precede him out the doors.

"Miss Parkinson, I suggest you head down to breakfast as soon as you are dressed, classes will begin soon," Severus said dispassionately before he too left the hospital wing.

Once he was sure no one could hear him, Severus couldn't help but chuckle. The spells Harry had used had been brilliant, well worthy of his legacy as his father's son. Severus knew all the spells the boy had used, but he would never have thought to combine them in such a manner, and he sent a prayer of thanks that the Marauders hadn't either, or he surely would have been subjected to the humiliation Pansy had been subjected to.

That thought made him pause. He should have been outraged on behalf of one of his Slytherins, but in this instance Severus found that he couldn't muster even the smallest amount of indignation for the girl. She had made Draco's existence hell for years, and as far as Severus was concerned, she was only getting what she deserved. He didn't even mind that it was a Gryffindor that had humiliated Pansy; on the contrary, it only felt right that Harry had stood up for Draco, and defended him against unwanted attention. It also boded well for their future life together.

Fighting the urge to hum a merry tune, Severus made his way to the Great Hall. Classes would indeed start soon, and he had no intentions of teaching the dunderheads on an empty stomach.

* * *

**Next Time:  
**Harry's morning continues to go down hill and there isn't a break in sight.  
Stay Tuned… 


	28. A Truly Rotten Morning

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

**A/N:** I can hardly believe it, but the previou chapter broke the record when it comes to the highest number of reviews! Thank you so much, each and every one of you who sent me a line. I'm glad the pranking of Pansy was loved by so many of you. Just wait until you see what I have in store for her next!

Thank you Vaughn for being my Beta. Any mistakes left are my own.

* * *

**A Truly Rotten Morning**

**Or**

**A Jackass for Breakfast**

Harry was not in a good mood when he stalked into the Great Hall. What had promised to be a good morning had quickly deteriorated beyond belief. How dare they accuse him of using the Dark Arts? Were they _trying_ to turn him into a new Dark Lord? It didn't exactly inspire him to fight for the future of the wizarding world, now did it? At the moment they could all go and hang themselves for all he cared!

Sitting down at the edge of the Gryffindor table, Harry stabbed a few sausages and put them on his plate, adding a few spoonfuls of scrambled eggs. His appetite was long gone, but he knew he needed to eat. He only managed a few mouthfuls though, before his body rebelled at the mere thought of more food.

Draco watched him with some concern, but refrained from saying anything. Now was not the time to push his mate to eat better. Instead, he applied himself to his own breakfast; they really didn't have much time before classes began.

Or rather, he attempted to apply himself to his breakfast. The accusations had angered him as well, and in the end his anger and irritation at Dumbledore won out over his appetite. It was with relief he noted the arrival of the mail and he looked up in an attempt to spot his owl.

Harry was listlessly sipping the last of his pumpkin juice when the mail came. Looking up, searching for Hedwig, he was surprised at the large number of Howlers clamped in the sharp beaks. He was even more astonished to find that most were heading his way.

Dozens of red envelopes rained down on him and it wasn't until Errol dropped onto his plate, more dead than alive, that Harry came out of his stupor. Sighing in disgust, he untied the letter and opened it. Might as well find out what had everyone's knickers in a twist.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER! HOW DARE YOU ACT SO DISGRACEFULLY! HAVE YOU ANY IDEA WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE VISIT THE SEVEN SINS? AND TO FIND OUT FROM THE DAILY PROPHET THAT YOU OF ALL PEOPLE WENT THERE! YOUR PARENTS MUST BE ROLLING IN THEIR GRAVES!

"YOU ARE TO DESTROY THOSE DISGUSTING CLOTHES AND YOU ARE TO PROMISE ME YOU WILL NEVER WEAR LEATHER AGAIN, IS THAT CLEAR, YOUNG MAN?

"I'M NOT SURPRISED THOUGH, SOCIALIZING WITH THOSE MALFOYS. I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT WHEN RON TOLD ME DRACO IS A VEELA AND THAT HE HAD PICKED YOU OF ALL PEOPLE. IF THIS IS WHAT THEY HAVE LURED YOU INTO DOING, THEN YOU HAD BETTER BREAK OFF THE RELATIONSHIP RIGHT NOW! OR YOU ARE NEVER SETTING FOOT IN MY HOME AGAIN. IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?

"I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN YOU, HARRY. I REALLY THOUGHT YOU HAD BETTER TASTE,AND ABOVE ALL, BETTER MANNERS THAN THIS. LEATHER! MALFOY! REALLY!

"YOU BETTER CLEAN UP YOUR ACT, MISTER. THOSE DEATH EATERS WILL ONLY BE THE DEATH OF YOU! UNTIL YOU HAVE BROKEN OFF THIS UNHEALTHY ATTACHMENT WITH THE MALFOYS, YOU ARE TO STAY AWAY FROM MY CHILDREN. ONLY CONTACT THEM WHEN YOU HAVE REPENTED FOR YOUR ACTIONS!"

With that, the Howler burst into flames and ashes rained down on the breakfast table. Harry snorted and cast a cleaning charm. Watching the trembling letters that waited to spew forth their spite, Harry shook his head and incinerated them, never bothering to open them.

"Honestly!" Harry snorted, his words easily carrying to everyone in the Hall since the students were all holding their breaths, not wanting to miss Harry's reaction to the accusations. "Who does she think she is? Consorting? Unhealthy attachment? Disgusting clothes! She hasn't even seen how I dress and she is casting me aside because I dare to be different?"

Beginning to get truly furious, Harry rose to his feet. "Well, screw her and everyone else who doesn't approve of what I do. I might be the Boy-Who-Lived, but that doesn't give her, or anyone else for that matter, the right to dictate how I live my life. If you can't deal with that, tough!"

"That's my mother you talking about!" Ron growled angrily, stalking down the table. "Apologise this instance!"

Harry snorted, getting to his feet, wanting to be prepared in case Ron decided to do something stupid. "Not bloody likely! If she can badmouth me, I can badmouth her! At least _I_ have a reason to. Unlike her," he sneered.

Ron stared at him, hard. "She is right, you _have_ changed, and not for the better if you ask me. The Malfoys are bad for you, mate. Cut the ties and come back to where you belong. Come back before it is too late."

"Has it ever occurred to you, Ronald Weasley, that I changed because I grew up? I watched my godfather, the only person who cared about me as a person, die before my very eyes and I was unable to stop it. Did you really think that wouldn't change me? That I would merely shrug my shoulders and say 'too bad, hey Ron, wanna play some chess?' How thick can you get? I am happy where I am, thank you very much. I like the way I look. I don't mind spending time with Draco. If you can't deal with that, like I said, tough! Come on, Draco, it's almost time for class," Harry said, looking down at the still seated blond.

"Admit it Harry, you are Dark. What I want to know is, for how long? Have the Malfoys already managed to seduce you to the other side, or did it begin earlier? Was it Black that talked you into studying the Dark Arts? No matter what he proclaimed, he was a Dark Wizard, you know," Ron said, making sure his voice carried across the entire room.

Harry watched his former friend for several long moments. Everyone was practically holding their breaths, not wanting to miss how the Boy-Who-Lived would answer those accusations.

In the end Harry just shook his head sadly. "You, Ronald Weasley, are nothing but an ass!" With those words he turned away from the redhead and stalked out of the Hall, not once looking back.

Ron watched his best friend walk away from him in disbelief, his mouth hanging open in astonishment, making him look extremely stupid. Then his face hardened and he closed his mouth with an audible snap. Gathering his wits about him, he reopened his mouth to shout a parting salvo at Potter's back, but all that came out was a high-pitched 'hee-haw'.

The Great Hall was silent.

Then a few muffled sniggers could be heard, despite the owners' frantic attempts to muffle them. It was to no avail, and soon the merriment spread until practically every student was laughing. Most of them even had tears running down their faces.

Ron's face grew pale. Then it grew red and the youth opened his mouth to shout at them to shut the hell up! But all that came out was 'hee-haw, hee-haw', causing the laughter to increase in both strength and volume.

Dumbledore looked out over the room and realised the futility of trying to get even a semblance of order over the students. Instead, he gestured for Hermione to come and take her boyfriend to the hospital wing. At least Harry wasn't the guilty culprit this time, since neither he nor Draco had pulled out their wands during the altercation. Shaking his head sadly at how out of control things were getting, the Headmaster left the room and headed up to his office. He needed some peace to think of what to do next.

HPDM

Lucius had watched the confrontation between Harry and Weasley with concern. The boy had enough to deal with and did not need the added stress. And who did Molly Weasley think she was? To send such a Howler to Harry, how dare she? She was nothing but a Prewett, a Wizarding Family with an even lower standard than the Weasleys had. Clearly, her standing in the Order of Phoenix had gone to her head!

"I find it amazing that no one has ever bothered to tell that woman what an offensive voice she has. Especially when she is screeching like a harridan. How her children put up with the humiliation…" he murmured to Mercury, noting with pleasure that his cousin was just as incensed as he was. Sitting back in his seat, Lucius sipped the last of his tea; with Mercury on the job he could be assured that revenge would be swift and thorough.

HPDM

Harry stalked down the corridors of Hogwarts, silently fuming. Had the entire world gone mad? Dark Arts! They dared to accuse him of using Dark Arts? And Dumbledore had done nothing, _nothing_ to stand up for him! In fact, the man had had the gall to believe him guilty as well! No wonder Tom Riddle had turned out the way he had, if he had been faced with this type of treatment and with no friends to lean on!

_Your days as Headmaster of Hogwarts are numbered, old man, _Harry vowed fiercely to himself. _You are forgetting what Hogwarts is. It is a school, for Merlin's sake, not a place to recruit followers. And it is not your place to decide who is to follow the Dark Lord and who isn't! You might be many things, Albus Dumbledore, but you are not a god_!

And Ron, what in the world had possessed the redhead to sprout that nonsense? And how _dare_ he talk that way about Sirius? But Harry knew where the real blame lay and he would make sure to pay her back for the discord she was creating. _Just you wait,_ he thought darkly. _As soon as I have a moment free, I'm coming for you, and then you'll see what Sirius taught me for yourself!_

"Harry? Wait up," Draco called, gently grabbing hold of one of his mate's arms in an attempt to gain his attention. The blond couldn't help but worry about the other teen, his dark mood was like a storm cloud surrounding him, and his magic was practically crackling in the air.

Harry was so deep in his own dark thoughts that when he felt someone grabbing hold of his arm, he swung around in full battle mode, a ball of magic gathered in his hand within a blink of the eye, ready to let loose.

Draco blinked and froze. Harry was a magnificent sight; his green eyes were glowing, and he seemed to grow taller. A wind was whipping his hair, which looked to be both darker and longer, and with his glowing hand raised as if to strike, he was a terrifying sight. He reminded Draco of a picture of a warlock he had seen when he was a child, and the Veela within him was feeling incredibly smug at the knowledge that this powerful entity was his, all his.

Harry, his mind still wrapped up in his inner monologue to Dumbledore, was a heartbeat from striking out at the enemy. Seeing warm, silvery eyes filled with love and adoration, instead of twinkling blue ones, Harry froze. Then he paled when realisation of what he had almost done hit him. Feeling sick to his stomach, he swiftly banished the magic he had gathered. Taking a staggering step back, he whispered in anguish, "I'm so sorry, Draco. I'm _so_ sorry."

Draco blinked, coming out of his daze. "Harry?" he asked, reaching out a hand, attempting to touch him, not understanding the other's change in mood.

"I'm sorry, Draco," Harry whispered, and with that, he whirled around and ran.

"Harry? Harry!" Draco shouted, and took off after his mate.

But Harry didn't hear him. He was filled with terror and consumed with only one thought – to get away. To get as far away as possible. Merlin, he had almost hurt Draco, the last person he wanted to harm, and he had almost blown him to smithereens. Draco would never want to be with him now, and Lucius and Severus would turn from him as well. How could they not? He had almost killed the one person that meant the most to the two men.

With a sob he tore past Salazar, almost going through the painting when it didn't open quickly enough, and ran for his room. Looking around wildly, Harry waved his wand and sent his belongings into his trunk, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for his things to be packed.

"Harry? Where are you?"

Harry's head snapped up. That was Draco calling. What was the Veela doing here? Didn't he understand what a danger Harry was? Running a hand through his hair, Harry wondered wildly what to do next. He couldn't let Draco come near him, not when he was a danger to everyone, but what to do? In a few moments the blond would come in here and…

Making a split second decision, Harry threw up the strongest wards he knew, making sure that no one could come in anytime soon. Shrinking the now packed trunk, he put it into a pocket and headed for the window, his broom in hand. He would only need a few minutes more, and then he would be gone and the ones he cared for would be safe.

Rushing towards the window, Harry reached for the latch, intent on flinging the window open. Only the window did not budge. Growling in frustration, Harry cast every unlocking spell he knew on the thing, but nothing worked. In the end he threw raw magic at it, in hopes that that would do the trick, but it only made the window glow and still it didn't open.

Not sure what to think, Harry paced around the room, resembling a caged tiger. He couldn't get out, and the ones at the door would soon be in, already his wards were buckling. Doing the only thing he could think of, Harry retreated into the wardrobe, pulling the armband off his arm. If they wouldn't allow him to leave, then there was only one way open to him to ensure that he would never again be a danger to anyone.

Climbing into his trunk, Harry slammed the lid shut and put up a hasty ward. It wouldn't hold for long, but hopefully it would be long enough to enable him to do what he had to do.

HPDM

Draco cursed as he rounded the corner Harry had disappeared around only moments before, and only saw an empty corridor. There was no sign of the brunet. Salazar, could that boy run! And he used shortcuts Draco had never been aware even existed. Fortunately, he seemed to be on his way back to their rooms. Deciding to act on his hunch, Draco stopped trying to follow his mate, and worked on getting back to their rooms as quickly as possible.

Grabbing hold of his necklace, he panted out, "Lucius. Father! Harry's flipped and I'm trying to catch up with him. Please hurry and come to our rooms." He didn't bother to try and give any details as to what had happened, he was far more interested in catching up with his mate before Harry did anything stupid.

In a hallway several corridors away, Lucius looked down in surprise, wondering what could have happened to make Harry 'flip'. Sensing the uselessness in trying to get anymore details out of his son, he turned his attention to his cousin, who was watching him with an air of curiosity. "I'm sorry, Merc, but apparently something has happened and I need to get to the boys."

"Don't be silly, I'm coming with you. I'd like to get better acquainted with the boy anyway," Mercury cut in, making a gesture for the other to lead the way.

Lucius nodded once and hurriedly began to work his way to where his boys' private chamber was.

"Are they in?" Lucius asked Salazar the moment they arrived.

"Yes, you better hurry though. The lad is attempting to leave through the window in his bedroom. I am having Hogwarts stop him, but who knows what he will do next?"

The two blonds shared a worried look and Lucius hurried inside, only stopping when Mercury gave a shout. Looking behind him, he noted that his cousin was no longer with him.

Feeling torn between helping Mercury and helping his son, Lucius sighed and stepped back outside. He had a feeling he would need all the help he could get, and that included Merc. "Salazar, we need to get inside and help the boys," he said with as much patience as he could muster.

"The young Lord told me to only let in yourself and Severus Snape. That man is neither of you. He stays here."

"When Harry issued that order, he didn't know that Mercury existed," Lucius pointed out. "Look, he is a Malfoy, I take full responsibility for allowing him inside. We don't have time to squabble over this!" he added with a pointed look, when Salazar looked like he wanted to argue.

The founder closed his eyes and got a faraway look on his face. "Very well," he reluctantly agreed, allowing the portrait to open.

The two men rushed inside, not happy with the delay and impatient to find out what in the world was going on!

Draco was standing before Harry's bedroom, working diligently on pulling the ward preventing him from reaching his mate down. He had transformed into his Veela state, and the black wings were glistening in the light.

Not saying a word, the two men went to stand beside him, adding their magic to the youth's, and immediately they could feel the wards begin to buckle.

With an angry snarl Draco threw a burst of raw magic at the buckling ward and with a shout of triumph, he felt it go down. Not waiting for the others to move, he threw the door open, almost tearing it off its hinges, and rushed inside.

There was no sign of Harry and Draco growled in annoyance. The window was closed, so he couldn't have gotten out that way. He took a step towards the bathroom, but almost immediately swung around and headed in the other directions. His Veela instincts were pulling him towards the wardrobe, and Draco was not about to disregard his instincts, not when they were screaming at him that his mate was in danger.

Tearing the doors off their hinges, Draco groaned in annoyance when he saw no Harry, but an innocent looking trunk sitting on the floor. Stepping up to it, he growled; how many more of these blasted wards had Harry erected?

With the help of his father, it didn't take the youth long to tear the last ward down, and Draco couldn't help but frown at how flimsy this one had been compared to the ones on the bedroom door. What was Harry up to? He must have known that this one would put up barely any resistance at all.

Flinging the lid open, Draco climbed inside, allowing his instincts to guide him. Rushing past the living room, he didn't have either the time or the inclination to appreciate the room's beauty at the moment. Next he came to a library which he spared only a glance, his focus was on the room next to the library. His mate was inside, and something was extremely wrong. The place inside him that was always aware of his mate was growing colder, as if Harry was slowly fading away. Howling in outrage and anguish, Draco hurtled into the room, coming up short, causing the ones following him to crash into his back. This room was heavenly, filled with magical plants, giving the room the feel of a lush jungle, and for a moment Draco was transfixed with the tranquillity he could feel throughout the place.

A hard shove to his back caused the Veela to remember why he was here, and Draco rushed inside, using his senses to track down his mate.

HPDM

Lucius followed his son deeper into the conservatory, a small part of him marvelling at the work that had been put into this room. Only someone with a great love and skill for all things living would have been able to create this. But just as his son, he didn't have time to fully appreciate the marvel surrounding him.

Following closely on Draco's heels, Lucius rounded something green and extremely frail looking when he once more bumped into his son's back. Looking over his shoulder, he was relieved to see Harry sitting next to a small yet beautiful pond. Then he frowned.

Harry made no move to acknowledge that he had noted their arrival. On the contrary, he was rocking slightly back and forth, staring into space, and clutching a potions bottle.

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**A/N: To avoid being flamed to death, let me assure you, _This Is Not A Suicide Attempt!_ Harry would _never_ do anything like that; especially knowing how much is depending on him.**

**More explanations in next chapter**


	29. Hurting

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

**A/N:** Wow! If chapter 27 broke all records when it comes to reviews, then chapter 28 really went through the roof. Because of all the heart-warming reviews you people sent me – and not one flame! – how can I do anything else but upload the next chapter? So here it is. Enjoy!

Thank you Vaughn for being my Beta. Any mistakes left are my own.

* * *

**Hurting**

Harry slowly swam towards wakefulness. Something was telling him that he would not like what he would find once he opened his eyes, so he tried to remain in that state between asleep and awake for as long as possible. Unfortunately, his body had other ideas.

Cataloguing the sensations he could feel, Harry felt somewhat reassured that he was somewhere warm, since that ruled out the Dursleys. Besides, he was laying on something soft, which definitely ruled out the Dursleys. And was that arms wrapped around him?

Frowning slightly, he tried to figure out who was holding him. The only person Harry knew who held him that tenderly was Draco, but Draco would never be holding him again. Not after… The frown deepened. Not after what? What had happened?

"I think he is waking up."

Harry smiled gently; yep, that was Draco all right. The smile died and the frown returned. Draco wasn't supposed to be here. The Veela was supposed to hate him.

"Good, it is about time, he's been sleeping for far too long."

That was Severus. What was he doing here? None of them were supposed to be here. They were all supposed to hate him, weren't they? Struggling to remember what had happened, Harry gasped as his memory returned as if a floodgate had been opened. He had been furious with Dumbledore and with Ron. And Draco… Merlin, he had almost killed Draco!

Opening his eyes, Harry was dismayed to see that the arms that were wrapped around him did indeed belong to Draco. Scrambling, he tried to get as far away from the blond boy as possible, ignoring the hurt look that appeared briefly in the Veela's eyes. _Better he be hurt now than killed later_, Harry thought grimly, almost sobbing with frustration as the hold on him didn't lessen. In fact, it grew stronger and he was dismayed that he could not break it.

"Shhh, calm down, love, I'm not going to hurt you," Draco said in an attempt to soothe.

Harry froze, staring at the other boy in total disbelief. Draco thought Harry thought Draco was going to hurt _him_? Didn't he realise it was the opposite?

"You have to get away from me," Harry whispered, hoping to be able to talk to sense into the younger Malfoy since it seemed impossible for him to get away at the moment.

"No, I don't." Draco disagreed with a gentle smile.

"Draco!" Harry glowered, beginning to get irritated.

"I'm not letting you go, Harry," Draco said patiently, as if talking to a small child.

Harry bristled and tried to get out of the hold the other boy had on him.

"Listen to me, Harry, I'm not letting you go. You are my mate. You are my life. I love you, why should I ?"

Suddenly feeling beyond tired, Harry slumped to the bed. He could feel Draco gather him even closer, but he couldn't find the energy to fight him. Closing his eyes, he did the only thing he could think of, he began to retreat into his own mind. At least there, he would be no danger to anyone but himself.

"Oh, no you don't!" Harry could hear Severus say, and then a jolt of energy zapped through him, causing him to lose his focus. Snapping his eyes open, Harry turned his head slightly to glare at the Potions Master.

"You will not act like some foolish Hufflepuff! You will face what happened, and-"

"And what?" Harry growled, attempting to sit up so he could glare more efficiently at the insufferable man. "What are you all doing here anyway?" he added once he'd noted that not only was Draco and Severus with him, but the two elder Malfoys as well.

"Where else would we be?" Draco asked, somewhat confused.

"Anywhere but here!" Harry cried in frustration. "Don't you understand what almost happened earlier?" he demanded, rounding on the blond next to him. "I almost killed you! Any sensible person would keep as far away from such a threat as possible, not chummy up with it!"

"But that is just it, Harry," Draco said, finally beginning to understand why his mate had woken up in such a panic. "You didn't kill me. You didn't hurt me. You didn't even harm that idiot Weasley when you had the chance. There is no reason for me to fear you."

"Yes, there is!" Harry growled angrily. Taking several deep breaths, he tried to think of something to say to make his stubborn boyfriend see reason.

"Harry, I believe it is you who doesn't see," Lucius said gently, figuring it was time he tried to talk to the distraught teen.

Harry merely lifted his head a fraction so he could send a glare at the aristocrat.

"Everyone here is well aware of what almost happened earlier," Lucius began.

"Good, then maybe you could make your son see reason and tell him to get the hell away from me!" Harry growled in frustration.

"The keyword though, is almost." Lucius continued as if Harry hadn't said anything.

"Almost?" Harry repeated, not understanding what the older man was talking about. "Almost what?"

"Exactly." Lucius nodded in satisfaction, ignoring the look mixed with irritation and confusion sent his way.

"Harry, you _almost_ hurt me._ Almost,_" Draco said, gently taking hold of Harry's chin and turning the other boy's head so that he was looking at him. "You could have done it, but you didn't. You stopped yourself in time, and then you walked away. Don't you see? You didn't hurt me," he added, stressing the point he was trying to make.

"This time," Harry said darkly. "How can you be so sure I won't hurt you the next time?"

"Because there won't be a next time," Lucius said with a reassuring smile. He opened his mouth to go on, but Harry beat him to it.

"Damn right there won't be a next time, because Draco won't be anywhere near me for there to _be_ a next time!" Harry said almost triumphantly.

"Harry," Lucius said seriously, attempting to get through to the teen, "you are Draco's mate. He can't live without you, you know that. Are you really prepared to reject him for something that _might_ happen? Remember, you are not alone anymore. We will help you, all of us. You are family now, and the Malfoys stand by family, no matter what."

"Then maybe you should find someone more worthy of being a Malfoy," Harry said quietly, unable to look at anyone.

"Harry?" Draco asked, not liking what he was hearing in his mate's voice, unconsciously loosening his hold on the brunet.

"Oh Draco," Harry whispered, reaching up to run a finger down a pale cheek. "I'm so sorry. I never should have raised your hopes like this. I should have put a stop to this long ago. I just…"

"Harry?" Lucius asked, his heart tearing at the despair and loneliness coming off Harry in waves.

Harry turned dulled green eyes to look at the head of the Malfoy family. "I think it is time you found someone willing to carry Draco's child," he said quietly, so quietly that Lucius had to strain his ears to hear the words. When the implications of what was being said hit him, he reeled back as if hit.

Draco didn't react any better, but before he could do anything more than gasp, a hand clamped down on his shoulder, preventing the words that wanted to be shouted.

"Harry? Why? I thought you and Draco were happy together. Things were progressing fine between you. Why are you trying to make the two of you miserable?" Lucius asked, desperate to understand so he could fix whatever had been broken.

Harry sighed and scooted back until he was curled up by the headboard, glad to be away from Draco's arms yet missing them the moment they released him. Wrapping his arms tightly around his knees, he tried to find the words he needed to make them understand. Unable to see the recriminating looks the others were giving him, he put his forehead on his knees in an attempt to hide away from the world.

"I forgot. For a glorious moment I forgot who I was. I actually thought I could find happiness. The world reminded me though, that that isn't possible. I'm sorry I got you all involved in my screwy life. I'm dangerous. That is the simple truth. I am a danger to everyone around me. For the most part I can control myself, but the control is wearing thin, and soon I won't be able to hold back. Dumbledore isn't exactly helping, and neither are Ron and Hermione."

Harry sighed and shook his head. "I never should have come here. I should have stayed at the Black Manor. Several of the portraits were helping me with my studies, and there were plenty of books in the library. Somewhere in there I'm sure is the answer to defeating the Dark Lord. You and Severus will soon be free, you should be able to help Draco and whoever you choose to bond him with. You don't need me anymore."

Draco was unable to keep quiet, and he burst out, "I will always need you, you blockhead! I refuse to bond with anyone but my mate, and if you leave, I will just have to go with you! If you try to leave without me, I will just follow you until that thick skull of yours realises that We. Are. Mates!"

Harry looked up, his eyes burning with anger and sadness. "And when will it get through that thick skull of yours that I. Am. Dangerous?" he practically shouted, glaring hotly at the Veela.

"This is all Albus Dumbledore's fault," Severus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand, while holding Draco's shoulder firmly with the other in an attempt to hold him back and not make an already explosive situation worse.

"Severus?" Lucius asked, knowing where the man was going with this, but realising that Harry needed to hear it.

"I told the old fool not to leave the boy alone all summer with only books for company. We could all see his temper growing shorter and more explosive. Did he do anything to help him? No. That would have been the sensible thing to do, and when has Albus ever done the sensible thing?"

Harry snorted and put his forehead back on his knees.

"Harry, don't you see? It is only natural for you to have trouble controlling yourself, your temper, and your magic, especially if you inherited any traits from a magical being," Lucius said, attempting to get through to the youth. By Salazar, the boy was as stubborn as Severus was, and just as impossible to get through to when his mind was made up! Lucius almost felt sorry for his son.

Harry snorted once more.

Lucius was getting very tired of those snorts.

"Don't you think I've thought of that? Don't you think I've read just about every book I could find in the Black libraries about ways to control your magic? Don't you think I've talked to practically every painting in the Manor who deigned to talk to me in hopes of finding something or someone who could help me? Don't you think I've tried just about every technique known to the wizarding world? Nothing worked, okay? Nothing fucking worked, and because of that I almost killed your son!" Harry shouted hotly, coming up from his hiding place to glare at Lucius. Slowly a wind began to stir around the angry wizard, and with a groan Harry dropped his head back down and took several deep breaths in a futile attempt to calm himself.

He was unprepared for the arms that wrapped around him, or the face that settled in the crook of his neck.

"Oh, Harry," Draco whispered, finally having come to terms with the things his mate had said. Harry wasn't pushing him away. He was trying to protect him. _Ever the noble_ _Gryffindor_, Draco smiled to himself.

"Is that why you considered drinking Le Muerte de Magic?" Severus asked, wanting the answer to one of the questions that had been plaguing him.

"Yeah," Harry murmured, refusing to look at anyone. "I knew my magic was getting out of control. I knew I might end up hurting someone one day, so I planned ahead. I knew I couldn't kill myself, what with being the Saviour and all that rot, but I figured that if I drained my magic, it would take a while for it to come back, making me safe in the meantime."

"Idiotic child! That potion doesn't just drain your magic! It kills it! Making the drinker not much more than a Squib!" Severus all but shouted, not believing what an incredible stupid stunt Potter had almost pulled.

"Better a Squib than an out of control freak who kills anything around him," Harry muttered, ignoring Severus' sigh of frustration.

"Harry, child, we can help you," Lucius said, placing a hand on the teen's shoulder. "It is next to impossible to learn control on your own. You need an instructor, a mentor. There are even special mentor bonds that will enable your instructor to help you with your magic until you have managed to find your centre. And he will be able to safely dispel any magical spikes you might suffer from in the meantime," Lucius went on explaining, willing the boy to accept the help that was offered.

"We also need to start your _Occlumency_ training as soon as possible. That too will help you when it comes to controlling that temper of yours," Severus cut in, wanting to give the boy as many options as possible. "As I said, this is all Albus' fault. He should have helped you long before the situation got out of hand like this. Instead, he left you to fight your battles alone. Well, no more! Both Lucius and I are willing to become your mentors, and we will all stand by you, no matter how long it takes for you to get a handle on your emotions, your magic, and your temper."

"But what if I hurt you?" Harry whispered, looking up from his knees, tears falling from his troubled eyes.

"You won't," Lucius said with conviction. "You might be extremely powerful, but we will still be able to help you. It is only when powers like yours go unchecked that they become dangerous. And Harry, you still haven't grasped the point we were trying to make earlier. You. Never. Hurt. Anyone. It was close, yes, we are not denying that. But It. Never. Happened!" Lucius said, looking deeply into Harry's eyes, willing him to believe, willing him to understand.

Harry searched the blond's eyes for a long moment, searching for signs of deceit. Finding none, he sighed and allowed his head to drop. "I want to believe you," he said in a low voice, "but…"

"It doesn't matter if you believe us or not, love," Draco murmured, pulling away from Harry's shoulder to give him a tender smile. "Believe in me, in us. Believe in that we care for you, and that we are not about to leave you to struggle on your own, okay?"

Harry gave the Veela a wan smile and pulled him close, burying his head in Draco's shoulder, breathing in deeply and allowing the love he could feel from the other boy soothe him. "I'll try," he eventually whispered.

Draco smiled and gave his mate a brief hug. "Good," he said, pulling Harry closer. Feeling his mate's fatigue, he made himself comfortable, prepared to wait while Harry slept for a bit longer, realising that the brunet wasn't up to anything more strenuous than that.

HPDM

"How is he?"

Draco looked up and smiled when he saw his father enter the bedroom. "Fast asleep. He's exhausted, the poor thing, not that I blame him," Draco said with a fond smile, glancing down at the dark head resting on his shoulder.

Looking back up at his father, he asked the question that had been foremost on his mind since this entire mess began. "How could they do that to him, Dad? How could they just leave him to struggle alone like that? When I came into my inheritance, you and Severus were with me every step on the way. When I had difficulties controlling the boost I received, you were always there to help me. Not once did you leave me on my own. So why did they do that to him? He is Harry Potter; everyone knows he is powerful, even though he tries to hide that fact most of the time. I… I just don't understand. I thought they cared about him. I thought they loved him."

"You are asking the same questions I'm asking myself," Lucius admitted, carefully sitting down at the edge of the bed. "Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. From what Severus has just told me, there has been discord within the Order of Phoenix ever since last summer. Apparently Fudge's smear campaign was able to shake the confidence of the Order members as well, and not even Dumbledore's unwavering faith in Harry has been able to dispel all doubt."

Draco growled in annoyance at the mention of the Minister of Magic, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on his mate. "Harry is right, we really need to do something about that fool!" he spat softly, not wanting to wake the other boy up.

Lucius smiled tenderly and reached out to muss his son's hair. "We will," he promised, "but first we need to figure out a way to help Harry. He still doesn't trust us, and as long as he doesn't, we can't create the mentor bond. And until we have established that bond, he will have a very difficult time getting the control he needs. It is a vicious circle, one that needs to be broken somehow."

"What should we do?" Draco asked, not liking the implication that Harry was hiding things from them, from him, but knew it was true. After all, they didn't even know what type of magical being Harry was.

"I'm not sure," Lucius admitted, though he hated to do so. "All my instincts are telling me to bundle you two and Severus up and take you to the Manor. You would be safe there. And with no outside influence to set our relationships back, Harry should be able to begin healing and start learning to trust us. Not to mention that Severus might finally be able to let go of some of the masks he's been forced to wear for far too long."

Draco nodded in agreement, liking the way his father was thinking very much. "But?"

Lucius smiled ruefully. "Ah, yes, the infamous but." He sighed and ran a hand through Harry's hair. "But I'm not sure taking Harry out of Hogwarts is for the best, even though it would be better for him not to be forced to interact on a daily basis with the people who are trying to manipulate and control him.

"I'm worried about what Dumbledore would do if I attempted to take Harry away. Then there are those in Slytherin House. Without Severus there to protect them, how many will be forced into the service of the Dark Lord? Without Severus here to act as a buffer, even though his hands are tied most of the time, how badly will the other Houses treat the snake house? Will they be pushing them onto the only path open to them if they want to get away from the scorn and hate?

"For far too long, the good of the many has overruled the good of the one when it comes to Harry, and yet, I find that I am considering doing the same myself. Harry deserves to be the centre of attention, to be the one put first, and yet…"

"He understands, Dad," Draco said, glancing down at the dark head once more. "We were talking about this the other day, and he has the same concerns you do. He would love to get the hell away from here, but he too is afraid of what will happen to this school if he does leave. I hate it! I hate it with a passion that I can't protect him, but you know what? He is right. I don't trust Dumbles anymore than Harry does, and it would be just the thing for him to do to gather sympathy from the rest of the wizarding world. How can we live in safety at the Manor knowing that the others are helpless in the hands of that manipulating bastard?" Draco took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. Now was not the time for raging emotions, now was the time for calm thinking and strategy.

"I still don't understand though," Draco admitted with a soft sigh. "How could he be driven to such despair, and yet no one knew? They were his friends, how could they not see? How could they just stand back and not help him?" Draco asked, looking up at his father with haunted eyes, reliving the scene he had stumbled upon in the trunk.

_Flinging the lid of the trunk open, Draco climbed inside, allowing his instincts to guide him. Rushing past the living room, he looked neither right nor left, blind to the beauty of his surroundings. Focusing totally on his Veela instincts, Draco allowed them to guide him as he hurried to wherever Harry was. _

_Something was wrong. Deadly wrong. The connection between them was growing dimmer, it was steadily becoming weaker, as if Harry was slowly dying. Howling in distress, Draco rushed forward, his only intent was getting to his mate before it was too late. _

_Not seeing the grandness of the library he was rushing past, Draco made his way into a lush and obviously well tended conservatory. Entering, he came to an abrupt halt. Malfoy Manor had a conservatory as well, but this place had a feel to it that he had never felt before. For a moment he was transfixed by the swirls of magic he could feel throughout the room. It was only the thud of his father running into him that jolted him out of his daze. Shaking his head, Draco forced himself to push past the distractions and refocus on his mate. _

_Moving deeper into the room, he was once more hit with the urgency of earlier, and he started to run. Rounding a clump of something green, Draco came to a screeching stop at the sight of his mate. It was only when his father ran into his back again that Draco came to his senses, and with a cry of anguish, he threw himself forward, landing on his knees next to his mate. _

_Wrapping his arms around the other teen, Draco pressed his face into Harry's neck and began to croon in an attempt to gain the other boy's attention. Harry didn't react, and merely continued to rock back and forth. _

_"Try to get that bottle away from him. We need to know what's in it and if he was foolish enough to drink whatever brew that is," came the voice of the Potions Master, and Draco pulled away slightly, the better to see what he was doing. Wrapping a hand around the bottle, he pulled gently, giving it a little twist in hopes of getting it away from Harry without the need to wrestle him for it.. _

_But Harry was not about to let go of his prize, and he whimpered in protest, pulling the bottle closer to his body. _

_Ignoring it for now, Draco refocused his attention on reaching his mate, and he resumed his crooning and his petting. It took several minutes, minutes that felt like years, but eventually Harry began to calm down. Blinking his eyes into focus, he looked dumbly at the blond head next to his. "Draco? What are you doing here?" _

_Before Draco could reply, Harry's eyes rolled up in his head and he slumped sideways in a dead faint. _

_The next few moments were a blur, as Severus rushed forward and wrestled the bottle away from Harry's firm grip. Reading the label, the Potions Master cursed up a storm as he uncorked the vial. Sniffing carefully, his grim face grew even grimmer. Pulling a leave off one of the plants, he allowed a small drop to drip onto it. With a grimace of distaste and fear, Severus quickly let go of the leaf and carefully put the stopper back, making sure it was secure. Pulling out his wand, he banished the leaf, making sure no trace of the potion was left on the ground or anywhere else. _

_Next he cast a diagnostic spell on Potter, and only after he'd read the result of the scan did he begin to relax. _

_"Severus?" Lucius asked, worried by his mate's reactions. _

_Sighing deeply, Severus put the bottle away. Casting a strong cleaning charm on himself, he then pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know how, but the foolish boy somehow got his hands on a dose of Le Muerte de Magic. We can only thank our lucky stars that he never drank it." _

_"Le Muerte de Magic…? But doesn't that…?" _

_"Yes, it does. He must have been truly desperate to even _think_ of drinking that devil's brew." Severus nodded with a deep sigh. "You realise what this means?" _

_It was Lucius turn to sigh. "Yes, that we don't dare to leave him alone until this matter has been resolved. My only question is what happened? I know the boy was furious when he stalked out of the Great Hall, but he was nowhere near angry enough to do something stupid like this." _

_The two men shared a look and as one, they turned and looked at Draco, who was still cradling his mate to his chest and rocking them both back and forth._

"How could they not have known?" Draco asked once more as he returned to the here and now.

"I don't know, son. I just don't know and I have a feeling that we will never know. It doesn't matter though. What matters is getting Harry back on his feet. It won't be easy, and he will probably fight you, but you can't allow him to push you away."

Draco snorted; as if he would ever let Harry do that! The two of them were mates, and he would move heaven and earth to ensure that the two of them were together forever. He wasn't about to let anyone come between them, not even Harry's own noble impulses.

* * *

**Next Time:**

The boys share their first kiss… and their second  
Until Then…


	30. Starting to Heal

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

**A/N:** This chapter has been reposted, and have been checked by my Beta Vaughn, thank you Vaughn for helping me fix things. Any mistakes left are my own.

* * *

**Starting to Heal**

Harry slowly blinked his eyes open. This time his brain was much more alert and he had little trouble figuring out where he was. Especially since he was resting against Draco's chest, his head raising in sync with the Veela's breathing. Taking a deep breath, Harry slowly let it out again, a little surprised at how relaxed and content he felt. Considering the meltdown he'd had earlier, this was not the aftermath he'd been expecting.

"How do you feel?"

Harry smiled slightly and stretched, not surprised in the least that the blond knew he was awake. "Good," he said, sitting up and scratching his head. "I'm a bit hungry though. And I really need the bathroom."

Scooting to the edge of the bed, Harry took a good look at the room he was in for the first time, and paused when it registered that this wasn't his bedroom. Unfortunately, nature was calling most insistently, and Harry had no choice but to seek out the bathroom.

Once his bladder had been dealt with, Harry walked over to the sink and washed his hands. Drying them, he looked into the mirror, pleased that for once it was one that didn't talk back at you. Gripping the sink with both hands, holding so tight his knuckles went white, Harry looked himself deep into the eyes.

Merlin, was his life forever going to be one fuck-up after another? All his life he had only one person he could count on. Only one person he knew would always stand by him. That person being himself.

He had done fairly well as long as he was staying with the Dursleys. The rules then had been simple: keep your head down, don't make waves, and never ever talk back. Then he found out he was a wizard, and he had been thrown into an entirely new world with no idea what to expect. No one had shown him the ropes. No one had bothered to tell him what the rules were. They had just thrown him to the wolves and expected him to manage on his own. And he had. He had managed, but at what cost? The school either loved him or hated him. Hell, the entire fucking world was forever judging him, and usually he was coming up short.

Sighing, Harry hung his head, suddenly feeling tired. All his life he had wanted only one thing. For someone to love him. Now his wish had been granted, and what does he do? He almost kills that person. Was this the gods' way of telling him that he was better off alone? That he was the freak the Dursleys had always accused him of being? Should he just walk out now and hope that that would save the people around him?

Harry sighed once more, his shoulders sagging. Deep within his heart, Harry knew that leaving was the right thing to do. But Merlin, he was so tired of being alone! Squeezing his eyes shut, Harry did his best to prevent the tears from falling. Now was not the time for self-pity, but by the gods, why did it always have to be him?

HPDM

Draco watched Harry enter the bathroom with a soft smile. Sighing, he put the book he'd been reading down and got out of bed as well. He and Harry needed to talk, and Draco didn't think the bed was the best place for that. Pacing back and forth, the teen ran a hand through his hair, contemplating whether he should ask his father to join them or not, when suddenly his head shot up. The sudden flood of negative emotions was strong enough to make his knees buckle, and Draco had little doubt as to where they were coming from.

Firming his resolve and straightening his back, Draco marched over to the bathroom and wrenched the door open. This shit ended now!

The sight of his mate hurting caused Draco's anger to evaporate, and in two strides he was next to the brunet. Giving Harry a concerned look, Draco didn't hesitate before wrapping Harry up in his arms. Two startled eyes looked up at him, then Harry crumbled, burying his face in Draco's neck, and he broke down and started to sob. Draco did the only thing he could think of: he tightened his grip and allowed his mate to purge his soul. When Harry's knees buckled, Draco gently guided them down to the floor and he pulled Harry even closer, all the while humming softly in the hopes that it would help soothe his mate and calm him down.

HPDM

Harry had no idea how long they'd been on the floor, but it was long enough for both of his legs to have fallen asleep. Pulling away from Draco's shoulder, he made an attempt to wipe away the tears and to fight down the blush he could feel heating his face, sighing in defeat when he did a lousy job of both. _Merlin, I'm acting like such a girl! Draco must think I'm such a fool, _Harry thought bitterly, turning his head away so he wouldn't see the contempt in the silvery eyes he had grown to love.

"Hey, are you okay?" Draco asked softly, reaching up to stroke one tear wet cheek. Then he chuckled slightly. "Stupid question. Of course you're not okay." Gently he pulled Harry into a hug. "What do you say we get out of here and find you something to eat? You must be starving by now."

Harry nodded, too tired and too ashamed to actually say anything. With Draco's help, he managed to climb to his feet and stay on them, despite the wobbling he did for the first few seconds before his knees locked. Allowing the blond to take most of his weight, Harry didn't care much where they were going, but he balked when Draco steered them towards the door. No way was he ready to face Lucius Malfoy yet. Preferably, he would never see the older man again.

"Shhh, Harry, it is alright," Draco murmured, guessing what was troubling his mate. "There are only us here. Dad is down in the dungeons with Severus, and he won't be back anytime soon, unless we call for him."

Harry gave the other boy an uncertain look, but allowed him to steer them both into the living room and over to the table where they took their meals. Sitting down, he folded his arms on the tabletop and rested his forehead on them, wishing he was anywhere but here.

Draco gave him a concerned look, but busied himself with ordering some soup and grilled cheese sandwiches from one of the house-elves. Once the food arrived, he pushed one of the mugs until it rested next to an elbow, while picking up the second one and taking a sip. Closing his eyes in bliss, Draco enjoyed the taste of the hot soup as it slid over his tongue and down his throat.

Re-opening his eyes, Draco frowned in displeasure when Harry hadn't made a move to pick up his own mug. "I realise that you aren't feeling very well right now, but starving yourself is not an option," he said sternly, ignoring the muffled snort.

Eventually Harry sighed and lifted his head. Giving the mug a baleful glare, he nevertheless picked it up and took a sip. Experiencing the exquisite taste, Harry lifted and eyebrow in surprise and looked over at Draco. "Hey, this is pretty good," he said, allowing his astonishment to shine through.

"It is, isn't it? It is one of my favourites," Draco said, pleased that his mate shared his taste.

The two boys ate their late lunch in silence. Draco kept quiet because he wanted Harry to get some food into him, and Harry because he was in too much turmoil to handle idle chitchat.

Eventually the food was gone, and Draco banished the dishes back to the kitchen. Grabbing hold of Harry's arm, he pulled on it until Harry took the hint and stood up. Leading his reluctant mate over to the fireplace, Draco lighted the fire and settled down on the nearest sofa, pulling Harry to sit down next to him.

"Now, I know you don't want to talk about it, but we are going to," Draco began without preamble. "I want you to get that look off your face, and I have a feeling that won't happen until that thick skull of yours gets that what happened wasn't your fault!"

Harry snorted. "You don't believe in tact, do you?" he asked, a small surge of amusement coursing through him in spite of the serious subject.

Draco shrugged. "Would you believe me any more if I wrapped it up in cotton?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Probably not," he sighed in the end.

"Thought so," Draco said smugly.

"But Draco, it _was_ my fault. I allowed Dumbledore to get to me. He is right, you know, no matter how much I hate to agree with him, but I do need to get a hold of my temper," Harry said morosely, staring into the dancing flames of the fire.

"Bullshit! _I_ was bloody furious and it wasn't _me_ they accused of using Dark Magic! You had every right to be angry, Harry. It didn't exactly help that that… cow sent you a Howler, or that the Weasel was mouthing off, although that isn't exactly an uncommon occurrence," Draco muttered in aside. "You, my friend, need to stop feeling guilty about everything and start admitting to yourself that you are entitled to be angry. You are allowed to be sad, and scared as well, for that matter. You are human, Harry, and humans have emotions. So what if you've got a temper? So does Severus, and no one is crucifying him for it."

"At least he isn't killing people with his anger," Harry muttered, unable to hide a wince when Draco called him human. He wasn't, not anymore, but how could he tell that to Draco? How could he drop that bombshell now when things were so messed up anyway?

Draco noted the wince, but he acted as if he hadn't. That was a discussion for another day. "Neither did you, in case you haven't noticed," he said, giving Harry a pointed look. "It isn't a ghost you are snuggling with, you know."

Harry flinched at the truth of that statement, and he tried to pull away.

"Oh no, you don't! We are going to get this sorted out once and for all," Draco stated, tightening his grip on his mate. He was not about to let Harry withdraw from him. "Harry, I'm not going to let you go. I love you."

"How can you? How can you say you love me when I came this close to obliterating your atoms?" Harry demanded, twisting around so he could look Draco in the eyes.

Draco smiled softly and reached out to push a lock of hair out of Harry's eyes. "Because you didn't. You didn't kill me. Hell, you didn't even hurt me. When will that fact get through to you? I love you because you are beautiful, both on the inside and on the outside. You are handsome, you are witty, and you are smart and clever. You are kind and sweet, and I couldn't have asked for a better mate. Get used to it, Harry, I love you and I will stand by you to the end of time."

Seeing the unbelieving look in those green eyes, Draco acted on an impulse, leaning forward and kissed Harry on the tip of his nose.

Pulling back, he couldn't help but laugh as Harry scrunched his nose up, crossing his eyes as he tried to look where Draco had kissed him. Blushing, Harry ducked his head and he ended up hiding in Draco's shoulder.

"I'm not. I'm not handsome, and I'm not beautiful, and I'm most definitely not sweet!" Harry stated, coming out of the blond's shoulder to give him an indignant look once what Draco said had penetrated.

Draco cupped Harry's face and let his thumb run back and forth along the cheekbone. "But you are," he said with a gentle and tender smile.

Harry sighed in frustration, unable to stop himself from leaning into the soft caress. "What can I say or do to make you see reason?" he asked, closing his eyes and sighing in pleasure.

"Funny, I was just about to ask the same thing," Draco smirked.

Harry snorted. "I bet you were. Draco, be serious. I'm dangerous. I admit that the mentor bond your father mentioned sounds like a good idea, but I don't think it will help me." Harry opened his eyes, attempting to convey to the Veela how serious he was. "I… I'm not…"

"Shhh, I already know that you aren't fully human. In case you have forgotten, neither am I. Neither is my father. We don't care. I love you, and I know that Father cares for you, and Severus does as well." Draco pulled Harry close, urging him to rest his head on Draco's shoulder. "You don't have to tell me now. I admit that I'm curious, but I am willing to wait until you are ready to tell me.

Harry allowed himself to be wrapped up in strong arms, soaking up the warmth and the feelings of security it gave him. "I want to believe you, Draco. I really do-"

"But life has kicked you in the teeth one time too many," Draco said, ending the sentence for him.

Harry chuckled weakly and nodded his head in agreement.

"I can wait. And don't think I haven't noticed that you've tried to change the subject. I'm not afraid of you, Harry. I trust you. I _know_ that you won't hurt me."

"But how can you be so sure?" Harry cried out in frustration, trying to get away from the arms holding him. "How can you be so bloody sure when I'm not?"

"Because I know you," Draco said calmly.

That simple statement took the wind out of Harry, and he turned to look at the other boy with eyes filled with disbelief.

"I know you, Harry. I have seen your soul, and it is bright and beautiful. In spite of all the horrors you've seen, in spite of all the terrible things you've been forced to live through, your soul is still bright and unsullied. Given a choice, you will never hurt anyone that is innocent."

"How can you be sure?" Harry whispered, wanting to believe Draco with all his heart, but he didn't dare to.

"Because I am."

Desperately Harry shook his head in denial. "No. You're wrong. Cedric died because of me. I got Sirius killed because I didn't listen. I-"

"You did not get them killed!" Draco stated hotly, suppressing the urge to shake his mate until he got rid of all that guilt.

Harry didn't reply, he only hung his head in sorrow.

Sighing, Draco ran a hand through his hair and tried to figure out what to say to get through to his stubborn mate. He narrowed his eyes as an idea came to him. "Tell me, Harry, how old was Cedric?"

Harry blinked in surprise and glanced up at Draco in confusion. "I'm not sure, but since he was in seventh year, I'd say seventeen or eighteen."

"And how old were you?"

"Me? I was fourteen."

"Exactly. Cedric was three years older than you, shouldn't he have been the one to protect you rather than the other way around?"

Harry blinked. Then he frowned in thought. "Maybe," he hedged. "But if it wasn't for me, he would never have taken that cup-"

"Circe, but you can be thick at times!" Draco snarled. "How the hell were you supposed to know that the cup was a Portkey! If none of the teachers, hell, not even Dumbledore, had cottoned on that Moody was an impostor, than how could you have known?" he demanded angrily.

Harry looked down at his lap, chewing on his lower lip. Had there been any signs that the cup had been tempered with? Well, obviously he hadn't picked up any bad vibes. And considering that Cedric had taken the cup with him, apparently neither had the older boy.

"I suppose I couldn't have," Harry eventually said slowly. "But-"

"But nothing!" Draco cut in sternly. "You couldn't have known, end of discussion! As for Cedric, I'm not surprised he's dead."

"How can you say that?" Harry cried in outrage.

Draco ignored him. "What did you do once you arrived?"

"Um, I ended up on the ground due to my bum leg. I got back on my feet, and we looked around. We took our wands out and then someone came towards us, which turned out to be Wormtail with Voldemort," Harry replied, his confusion temporarily dampening his anger.

Draco nodded in encouragement. He already knew the story from his father, who had heard it several times from the Dark Lord. "What did Cedric do?"

"Do?" Harry asked nonplussed. "He didn't do anything."

"You had just been Portkeyed to a strange place, and someone you didn't know was approaching you, and you did nothing?"

"Um, no?"

"You didn't erect a shield or prepare yourself in any other way?" Draco persisted, knowing fully well that the boys hadn't.

"Um, no," Harry murmured, reluctantly thinking back on that day.

"Why ever not?" Draco demanded. "You had no idea what was going on. You had no idea if the people coming towards you were friend or foe, and you were just standing there?"

"Hey! How was I supposed to know what to do!" Harry said angrily. "I was fourteen, for Merlin's sake! I wasn't even supposed to be a part of that stupid tournament!"

"Exactly!" Draco crowed in delight.

"Huh?"

"You were fourteen. You weren't even supposed to be there. If a seventeen year old didn't know what to do, didn't know how to react, how the hell were you supposed to know?"

Harry blinked and considered what Draco had just said. Thinking back, he could clearly remember how they had just been standing there for several minutes. They hadn't tried to get to cover. They had barely pulled their wands out, for crying out loud. They had _not_ been prepared to meet hostile fire. Sighing deeply, Harry slumped back against Draco's shoulder as the guilt of what had happened to the Hufflepuff began to leave him.

Above Harry's head Draco smirked in triumph. He had actually managed to talk some sense into his stubborn mate.

"Do you see? You haven't killed anyone, Harry. And you won't kill anyone unless that is your only option. You are not a murderer."

"I will become one though," Harry sighed, beginning to get depressed again.

"Lets not borrow trouble, love. We have enough as it is," Draco said, pressing a kiss against Harry's dark mop of hair. "You don't know for sure what the prophecy means, none of us do, not until it has been fulfilled. And Harry, prophecies are notorious for being fulfilled in ways not predicted.

"And don't think I haven't noticed that you are changing the subject again. Do you believe me when I tell you that you are not a danger to me?"

"I don't know," Harry said slowly.

Draco sighed. He had known that this would take time. At least he'd managed to get through to the stubborn brunet and made a small dent on his convictions. "Will you promise me not to try and push me away?" he asked softly. "Will you promise not to shut me out? I need you, Harry; I couldn't live if you rejected me."

"I just want to keep you safe," Harry whispered, pushing his head into the crook of Draco's neck.

"Love, I will only be safe by standing by your side."

Harry snorted but did not comment.

"Just give us a chance to help you, can you do that? Can you give us a chance to prove ourselves to you?"

"But you haven't got anything to prove to me, Draco," Harry said, looking up in astonishment.

"No? Don't we need to prove to you that we will not abandon you? That we will stand by you, no matter what? Can you honestly say that you trust us to choose you before anyone else?" Draco asked a challenge in both his voice and demeanour.

Harry blushed and looked down, unable to look Draco in the face.

"I thought so. So, will you give me, give us, that chance?"

Harry turned his head and looked into the fire. He wanted to believe in Draco. He wanted to believe in Severus and Lucius as well. He was so tired of being alone. He was so tired of not having anyone to turn to. Could he give them the chance Draco spoke of? Could he not give them that chance?

Making up his mind, Harry turned back to Draco. "I promise that I won't push you away, for now."

"Thank you, Harry. I promise that you will not regret this," Draco said with a happy smile. Hugging Harry tightly for a moment, the blond Veela couldn't help himself and pressed a second quick kiss to the tip of Harry's nose.

"You are a nutter, you know that, right?" Harry stated dryly, rubbing the back of his hand against his nose in an attempt to get rid of the tickling sensation.

Draco just laughed and cuddled up with his mate, a feeling of contentment spreading through his body.

* * *

**Next Time:**  
The lessons in Occlumency begins  
and Harry meets with the original DA members.  
Stay Tuned… 


	31. Occlumency and the DA

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

**A/N:** I can't believe it! The number of people who has reviewed my story is… unbelievable! I have never received as many reviews before. Thank you all! I will do my best to reply to you, but the muse comes first. Your positive responses have really caused the creativity to flow. Thank you.

Thank you Vaughn for being my Beta. Any mistakes left are my own.

* * *

**Occlumency and the DA**

Lucius sat perched on a workbench, watching Severus stir a cauldron adding something or other. The Potions Master was pure poetry in motion, and the blond enjoyed watching him work. Considering how harrowing their morning had been, they both needed this time to get their equilibration back. He fully understood and agreed with Severus' decision to send today's classes to the library to do bookwork. He wouldn't feel up to facing a class full of silly children either.

Instead, the man had holed himself up in his private lab and had spent the entire day brewing different potions, once he had reassured himself that the boys would be fine. That reminded him…

"How did you know that something was wrong this morning? Mercury and I had already left the Great Hall when Draco called me. Do you have a spell monitoring the boys?" Lucius asked, not sure how he felt about that if that was the case.

Severus snorted and glanced up from what he was doing. "Nothing that drastic, but now that you mentioned it, maybe that would be a good idea."

"I don't think Harry agrees with you," Lucius said, reluctantly dismissing the idea. "So how did you know there was trouble brewing?"

"Hogwarts told me."

"Hogwarts?" Lucius echoed.

"Yes, Hogwarts, the school we currently are living in?" Severus said, talking as if Lucius was one of his more dense dunderheads.

Lucius sent his mate a dark glower. "Very funny, Sev. I know what Hogwarts is, thank you very much. But I've never heard of the castle talking to anyone before."

"Oh, she does, but only when she thinks it is urgent or extremely important. Ever since I was made Head of Slytherin, she's been giving me hints of what is going on with my snakes. One of the reasons I always manage to be where I need to be, when I need to be there." Severus smirked, sending Lucius a look, well aware of the many times he'd thwarted some of Draco's more elaborate attempts at getting the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs in trouble.

"I'll be sure not to tell him," Lucius said, his voice laced with amusement. He too was well aware of his son's prank attempts. "So Hogwarts told you…?" Lucius asked, returning to his original question.

Shaking his head ruefully, Severus added the last ingredient and set the brew to simmer before he answered that question.

"She told me that Harry was about to lose control and she wasn't sure if she could contain the magical surge without help."

Lucius blinked; that was not the answer he'd been expecting. "That she couldn't… He is that powerful? According to _Hogwarts: A History_, the founders put in some very impressive wards to ensure that no student was injured due to lack of control. Or have the wards diminished with time?" he mused, looking for other answers, not sure he wanted for Harry to be _that_ powerful.

"I don't know about the wards, but yes, I suspect he is that powerful." Severus nodded, checking the cauldron one last time before erecting a ward to make sure nothing was added to the potion, whether by accident or by malicious intent. Peeves had yet to manage to find a way into Severus' private lab, but he was all too aware that the poltergeist was not about to give up anytime soon.

"Where do you think he got that potion from?" Lucius asked, turning his attention to the second issue that had occupied his thoughts. "From what Draco has told me, and from your rants, I thought the boy was hopeless at Potions, and yet he managed to brew that dratted Black Truth. Do you think he has been holding back?"

"No." Severus disagreed with conviction. "I've been watching that boy like a hawk, and he has displayed none of the skills Lily displayed. If she hadn't decided to concentrate on Charms, she could easily have become a Potions Mistress, and one of the top five at that.

"Hmm, that still doesn't explain where his sudden skills are coming from."

"I'm not sure," Severus mused, coming to stand beside the Veela. "The only possibility I can think of is that he somehow got his hands on an instructor… and on a Time-Turner."

Lucius head shot up in alarm. "A Time-Turner? You don't think he brought it with him, do you?" Nightmarish images of Harry slipping away and doing something foolish in an attempt to protect them filled his mind.

"That I do not know, but I believe it would be best if we restricted Harry's access to his trunk. Who knows what other devilish brews he's got down there?" Severus said gravely. "I think you need to extract a promise from that boy that he won't go down there again unless he is accompanied by either you or Draco. Potter might be foolish and rash, but if he makes a promise, he keeps it."

Lucius nodded, his agile mind already trying to come up with arguments that wouldn't push the youth further away, yet would extract the promise they needed. There was no way he would allow Draco to lose his mate if he could help it. And even though he had only known Harry for a short time, he was becoming increasingly fond of the brown-haired teen, and he wanted to make sure he was safe for his own sake and not only because of his importance to Draco.

"Is he still asleep?"

Lucius closed his eyes and focused on the information his necklace was giving him. "No." He shook his head slowly. "They are both awake, and from what I can tell, all is well."

"How about we join them? You, my friend, missed lunch, as did I, and I for one am getting hungry," Severus said, taking one last look around to make sure everything was in order.

Lucius nodded and slid off the table. He was not about to turn down the offer of support in confronting Harry about his trunk. Quenching his impulse to hug the other man, Lucius was content to walk out of the lab side by side with his mate.

HPDM

Stepping over the threshold to the boys' room, Lucius grew somewhat concerned when he could only see his son's fair head. There was no sign of Harry, and he quickly made his way over to the sofa. Opening his mouth to inquire of the brunet's whereabouts, he closed his mouth, questions unasked when he saw Harry laying stretched out with his head pillowed on Draco's thigh. "Comfortable?" he asked, only half teasing the youths.

"Very, thank you," Draco replied, looking up from the book he was reading, never stopping his petting of the dark head on his lap.

Harry didn't bother to answer, he merely continued to stare into the fire.

"Hey, you two, it is time you ate something," Lucius said, giving the brunet a worried glance. He didn't think he had ever seen Harry that despondent, and, well, depressed. The spark he was used to seeing in Harry just wasn't there anymore. _But then he was driven to practically commit magical suicide, what did you expect?_ Lucius thought to himself, reaching out and gently shaking Harry's shoulder when the youth made no move to get up.

Harry sighed but obediently rolled to his feet. Not looking at anyone, he made his way over to the table where Severus was supervising the miniature feast one of the house-elves were putting onto the table.

Plonking down into a chair, Harry stared down at his hands, not even reacting when Draco sat down next to him, wrapping his arm around his shoulders.

"I know you probably don't feel like it, but you need to eat, love," Draco murmured, hoping he wouldn't have to force his mate to eat.

Harry just sighed. "I'm not hungry. In fact, I'm going off to bed." He started to rise, but both Draco and Severus moved in to stop him.

"Let go of me," Harry said in a quiet voice that demanded instant attention and obedience.

Draco reluctantly moved away, worried he might set his mate off again, but Severus had no such inhibitions.

"No," he said calmly. "I know you don't want to be here right now, and I understand if you don't feel like eating, but running away will not solve your problems."

Harry looked up at the Potions Master for the first time since the man had entered the room, his green eyes smouldering with emotions. However, before he could say anything, Severus scowled darkly at him and snapped, "Are you going to prove to me that you are the spoilt brat I always took you to be?"

"Severus!" Lucius gasped in shock. Surely that was not the right approach to take right now when the boy was so fragile.

As if he had read the blond's mind, Severus glanced over at him and snorted. "Potter is not fragile, Lucius. He is a child used to getting his own way, and now that he has run into more than he can chew, he is taking the coward's way out, and is running away instead of facing his troubles head on."

"How dare you!" Harry growled, glaring darkly at his professor. "How. Dare. You? You know nothing about me. Nothing!" he ended up shouting, getting to his feet so forcefully that his chair fell over.

"Then tell me!" Severus roared, standing as well. Placing his fisted hands on the table, he leaned forward and got right into Harry's face, not backing down an inch. "Tell me! Make me understand! Only then will I be able to help you. Only then will _we_ be able to help you. Running away by taking potions in hopes of a small reprieve is not dealing with your problems. That will only make them worse!" He glowered at Harry, his silent stare taunting him to either accept the offer of help or run away with his tail between his legs.

Slowly the fight went out of Harry's stance and he looked away, unable to look into those knowing onyx black eyes any longer. "I feel stupid, okay?" he murmured, bending down to righten his chair.

Draco immediately wrapped his arms around his mate and pulled him down to sit in his lap, ignoring the surprised squawk his actions elicited from his mate. He knew enough to stay out of the argument, he'd probably only make things worse anyway since he didn't have a full understanding of the situation. But he'd be damned if he was letting his mate go through this on his own.

"There is no need to feel stupid. As I told you before, this is all Albus' fault. In fact, almost the entire Order of Phoenix can be faulted for the predicament you find yourself in. To a small degree even I am to blame for this," Severus said solemnly, sitting back down as well. He never took his eyes off Harry, attempting to convey how serious he was about this.

"Your fault?" Harry asked, looking up from where he had been hiding his face against Draco's shoulder. "How can this be your fault? Up till a week ago, we didn't even like each other. I hated you, remember? I even accused you for getting Sirius killed. I'm sorry for that, by the way. It was utterly unfair of me to put all the blame on you. For one thing, Sirius should have taken his duel with Bellatrix seriously. Maybe if he hadn't been toying with her like he did, things would have ended differently," Harry said solemnly, shifting until he was sitting more comfortably on Draco's lap, not making any moves to get off and into his own chair.

"Your apology is accepted," Severus said, inclining his head slightly. "I hope you will accept mine as well. Yes, we were at odds with each other. Yes, I did dislike you, since the moment you were born if I'm to be honest. Yes, I was furious with you for putting the entire blame for the debacle in the Ministry on me. But I was still your professor. I saw that you were not doing well, I noted that not one of the people staying at Headquarters were coming to your aid. I should have been able to put my feelings for you aside and approach you and offer my help. I didn't, and because of that, you are now suffering. I-"

"Should have, could have, would have. It is all in the past, sir. You are offering to help me now and that is what counts," Harry said, cutting in to Snape's somewhat awkward explanation, not wanting the proud man to have to bend his neck more than necessary.

"Thank you, Harry, you are most generous. Do you believe me when I say it was wrong of us to leave you alone to struggle with your grief and with your inheritance?" Severus asked, daring to press the issues he wanted the teen to face, seeing as he was calm and not showing any signs of being upset.

Harry looked down and didn't meet Severus' eyes.

"Harry?" Lucius asked, deciding it was about time he joined Severus, and showed his support in this battle of wills.

Harry merely shrugged, still not looking at anyone.

"Love, when I turned sixteen, I had Severus and later on my Father at my side every moment," Draco said, thinking that maybe if Harry knew of his own struggles it would be easier for his mate to talk about his own ordeals. Or even accept the fact that he should not have been forced to deal with this on his own. "When I was struggling, be it with my emotions or my powers, they were there to help me in anyway they could. Even if all they could do was to give me a hug, they did it. And they constantly told me they loved and supported me.

"And believe me! I needed that support. In spite of the fact that I had been prepared for that day since I was ten years old! No one prepared you for what was to come, and from what little you have told me, you had no one you could turn to for support. We are trying to make up for that now. Please let us help you. Please, don't shut us out," Draco pleaded quietly, knowing fully well that he was playing dirty. But he hated it when Harry was hurting, and right now, his mate was hurting.

Harry sighed deeply and turned to look at the young Veela. Seeing nothing but love and a wish to help in the depth of those alluring silvery eyes, Harry sighed once more and turned his head slightly to look at Severus. "So what do we do?" he asked quietly, not sure if he wanted to know.

"First, we are going to eat," Severus said matter-of-factly, reaching out for a roast beef sandwich. "Then, we will begin _Occlumency_ practise by teaching the two of you how to meditate."

Harry thought that over for a moment before nodding his consent. Giving Draco a small smile to show that he was all right, Harry slipped off the surprisingly comfortable lap and settled into his own chair.

HPDM

"There is one thing I'm curious about," Severus said, as he was making himself comfortable on the floor once their meal had been consumed.

"Only one? I'm impressed." Lucius teased from where he was settling on the floor on the other side of the room. It had been decided that he should teach Harry, while Severus taught Draco. Hopefully, that would help Harry to be more open to the teachings, since he had not had the best of experiences with the subject.

Severus ignored the aristocrat with practised ease. "If you thought Le Muerte de Magic would suppress your magic for a short while, why didn't you drink it? If you were that desperate, why didn't you follow through with your intentions?" he asked, looking over to where Harry was settling on the floor.

"Severus, this isn't exactly the time-" Lucius began to say with an angry frown.

"No, it is alright," Harry hastened to reassure, not wanting the two men to disagree. "I had actually removed the stopper, and was lifting the bottle to my lips, when I was hit with a thought. As you have guessed, I'm not fully human. The other part is highly magical and I couldn't help but wonder what would happen to it if I was to suppress my magic. Would that part of me be able to handle the decrease of magic? What if I got sick because I didn't have any magic for a while? What if… I died? That was never my intention you, know," Harry said earnestly, looking at the three people with him in the room. "I wasn't trying to commit suicide. I couldn't do that to Draco. I couldn't do that to all those people waiting for me to deal with the Dark Lord. I just… I just wanted to make sure I was safe…" Harry's voice trailed off and he looked down into his lap, fidgeting.

Lucius smiled sadly and scooted closer to the teen, enveloping him into a hug and whispering, "I'm glad you never drank that potion, and I will make sure you never feel like you'll need it ever again." He promised solemnly.

Draco got up from where he was sitting and walked over to where Harry was. Sinking gracefully to his knees, he wrapped his arms around the other boy as well and gave him a big hug. "I love you Harry, no matter what. I will always stand by your side, remember that," he promised, tightening his hug slightly.

"Thanks, Draco, Lucius," Harry murmured, blushing slightly, not having expected that show of love and support.

"I'm proud that you didn't foolishly rush in like a Gryffindork, but stopped to think your actions through," Severus said, wanting to show his support, but not quite ready to join the group hug. "Now, how about we begin tonight's lesson?"

Draco rolled his eyes, but after one last squeeze he let go and returned to his former seat across from Severus and paid attention as the man began to explain the how's and the why's of meditation.

HPDM

Harry climbed to his feet and stretched. He felt stiff and his muscles were cramping after sitting in the same position for so long. Not to mention that his foot had fallen asleep. He felt causiously optimistic though, even if he hadn't shown much progress tonight. Meditating was not as easy as it sounded, and reaching a truly relaxed state took a lot of willpower, not to mention concentration.

"You did very good for a first try, Harry," Lucius said, coming to stand next to the teen.

Harry made a face. "Not really. I couldn't turn my mind off," he replied, looking over to where Draco was still working with Severus. The privacy barrier the blond aristocrat had erected at the start of their lesson ensured that they weren't disturbing the other pair.

"Draco make it look so easy," Harry commented as he saw the relaxed look on the Veela's face.

"Draco was taught how to meditate when he was six years old," Lucius replied, slinging an arm around the brunet's shoulders. "It helped to relax him when he was overtired or stressed. Besides, it is a well known fact that if a child starts off his day with a few minutes of meditation, he will have an easier time learning its lessons."

"Wow. Six, huh?" Harry said, looking impressed.

"Yes, but he was only taught the first level of meditation. Severus will show him how to go much deeper than the surface calm Draco has experienced so far. With some practice he should be able to access his magical core, and if he is fortunate, he should be able to start learning how to do wandless magic as well as _Occlumency_."

"Wandless magic?" Harry asked, intrigued, looking over at the man standing next to him.

Lucius nodded. "Think about it, Harry. What is magic? It is will and intent. My son is extremely stubborn, and once he has figured out how to access him inner core, he should have little trouble being able to manipulate it to do his biddings."

Looking down at the teen, Lucius smiled ruefully. "From what I have seen, you are just as stubborn as he is, and once you've learned how to meditate, I have little doubt you will be able to learn wandless magic as well."

Harry broke into a wide grin. "I hope so! Just think of all the cool stuff we could do!" Then he grew pensive. "Do you think it is possible to duel using wandless magic?"

"Why do you ask?" Lucius wanted to know, not about to give a quick yes or no until he knew more of why Harry wanted to know that.

"Because Voldie and I have brother wands. That is what saved me after the Tri-wizard Tournament. But how can you successfully fight someone when your wands won't allow you to cast harmful spells on your opponent? I figured Dumbledore would come up with a solution, but it's been over a year now, and he still hasn't addressed that problem. Do you think I should go to Ollivander and try to get a new wand?"

"That is a problem, isn't it? I had actually forgotten that little fact. I know the Dark Lord has not bothered to get a new wand yet, and he probably won't. As you know, the wand chooses the wizard, and not the other way around. That makes it rather difficult to pick up a second wand, as long as the first one is still functioning. A wand is not sentinent, and yet it has the power to decide which wizard it wants to work with. That same phenomenon is what is preventing you from getting a second, well matched wand. To my knowledge, there has only been three occasions in our history when a primary wand has agreed upon its owner getting a second wand. It is quite possible you could turn out to be the forth, still…

"I think your best option is to develop your wandless magic skills. If you are strong enough, and fit enough, you should be able to duel successfully without your wand. You will need to build up your stamina though. Both physically, mentally and magically. It will not be easy," Lucius warned, giving Harry a grave look. He was worried; the youth had presented him with a new problem, as if they didn't have enough of them already! Albus should have begun the boy's training long ago! It was criminal to have left him alone and untrained for this long, and yet having no compunctions placing the knowledge that the future of the world rested on Harry's shoulders, and his alone.

"I don't care. As long as it gives me a fighting chance to put an end to this madness once and for all," Harry said, looking over at Draco once more.

"Very well. I will think of what you have said. But there is still plenty of time, so I want you not to fret, alright? Take your time and learn how to meditate properly. If you rush it, you will never reach the level of awareness you will need, and we will have to start all over again. Once you have connected with your magical core, _then_ we can start pushing, but not before. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, and I promise to do the best I can," Harry promised, giving Lucius a small yet genuine smile.

"That is all we ask," Lucius said, giving the slim shoulders a gentle shake. "Now, how about we wake those two up? I'm in the mood for some tea and sticky pudding."

Harry chuckled, and stepped forward, unconsciously taking down the ward as he walked through it. Lucius felt his eyebrow climb upwards, but refrained from saying anything. He needed to talk to Severus in private. They _really_ needed to find out what magical being Harry was.

HPDM

Harry was enjoying his tea and the easy banter between Lucius and Severus when he suddenly remembered. Casting a quick _Tempus_, he cursed when he noted the time and flew up from his chair.

"Language!" Both Lucius and Severus chorused automatically while Draco gave him a concerned look.

"What?" he asked, getting to his feet as well.

"I can't believe I forgot! Bloody hell!" Harry cursed, ignoring the disapproving looks from the adults.

"Forgot what?" Draco persisted.

"I'm supposed to meet with the DA in ten minutes!" Harry replied, looking down at his clothes. Deciding that he looked okay, he made sure he had his wand and started towards the door.

"The DA? I wasn't aware that you had scheduled a meeting for tonight," Lucius said with some concern, standing up as well. Harry was not in any shape to meet with the school tonight.

"Not the school," Harry said, shaking his head in the negative. Noting that he would not get out of the room without an explanation, he sighed in irritation and turned around to fully face the others.

"I realised that I will need help if I am to teach most of the school. It was hectic enough last year, and we were only a small group. So, I've set up a meeting with the DA members still at school and I will ask them to help me with the teaching," he explained, inching closer to the door.

"Do you have to do it tonight?" Draco asked, not wanting Harry to having to face Weasley so soon after that morning's mess. Facing him tomorrow was soon enough in Draco's mind.

"I've postponed it far too long as it is. The first official meeting is tomorrow night. I have to see them now. Don't worry, I'll be fine. I'm sure the entire school have heard about Pansy by now and they will know better than to make me angry. Besides, these people know what I'm capable of, unlike Parkinson." Harry smirked at the memory.

Draco folded his arms across his chest. "You are not going to that meeting alone!" he stated with a dark look.

"I didn't think I would," Harry said mildly, sending the disgruntled Veela a tender smile. It was quickly returned and Draco's forbidding stance softened considerably.

"Then come on! The clock is ticking and I'd hate arriving late," Harry said, motioning for the other boy to hurry up.

Checking that his appearance was acceptable, Draco walked up to where Harry was practically bouncing with anxiety. "I'm coming, keep your shirt on. No, on second thought, lose it, I wouldn't mind."

Harry snorted, grabbed hold of Draco's arm, and dragged him out through the door.

"I foresee a long and interesting relationship," Lucius said once the door had fallen closed behind the two boys.

"You forgot to mention rocky," Severus said, staring at the closed door with a pensive look. "I really don't think this is a good idea, Luce. It is too soon. No way he has recovered as well as he is pretending he has."

Lucius sighed. "I know. I totally agree with you. But what am I to do? Forbid him to go? Lock him in his room? He is sixteen years old, he is practically an adult. Besides, isn't that what Dumbledore has done to him all these years? I can't afford to have him at odds with me, things are strained between him and Draco as it is."

"I know. Still…"

"All we can do is to be there for him and pick up the pieces when things fall apart. I only hope that immature brat has the good sense to keep his big mouth shut!" Lucius growled, not happy either at the thought of Harry and Ron facing each other so soon.

"The odds for that happening are slim, I'm afraid. We can only hope Granger will be able to keep him in check."

Lucius snorted, but nodded in agreement of the situation. Then he snickered. "I wonder who it was that hexed him this morning? The look on his face was priceless."

Severus chuckled as well, remembering the scene in the Great Hall vividly. "I have no idea, but fifty points to whoever it was. I wonder if Poppy has been able to fix him yet?"

"I have no idea, but I hope not. Life would be so much simpler if not quieter with him being unable to shoot his mouth off."

HPDM

By using just about every shortcut he knew, Harry managed to get him and Draco to the Room of Requirement before any of the DA. Pacing back and forth, Harry focused on what type of room they would need for tonight. It should be something informal, yet with a few hints of their usual room to remind everyone of the good times they had shared in there.

When the door appeared, Harry walked up to it and opened it, nodding in approval as he stepped inside. To the side was a duelling platform, a fire was burning merrily in a fireplace, and soft cushions were scattered all over the floor. This should do just fine.

Walking over to one of the cushions, and making it slightly larger, Harry plonked down on it, not making any comments other than a slight 'oomph' as Draco settled in his lap. Clearly the Veela was going to make a statement and Harry found that he couldn't push him away. To tell the truth, he was far less sure of himself than he had let on to the adults. This meeting could backfire on him, and badly at that.

Taking out his wand, twiddling it between his fingers, Harry waited for the first members to appear. He considered getting back to his feet, but he didn't want to appear threatening, so decided to remain where he was. Besides, it was actually rather nice having Draco sitting in his lap.

Further hesitations were shelved as the first DA members began to enter.

HPDM

"What is _he_ doing here?" Ron shouted even before he was fully inside the room, temporarily forgetting that he was still unable to talk. He glowered in anger and frustration at the sniggers the others were doing a poor job of hiding, when nothing but donkey sounds came out.

"What happened to you?" Harry asked, nonplussed, having missed Ron's nonhuman shout at him this morning due to being too busy seeing red.

"Someone cursed him, and Madam Pomfrey couldn't reverse it," Hermione replied, having taken the roll as interpreter for her boyfriend. "As if you didn't know that already," she added, giving Harry a dark look.

"Me? I didn't do anything," Harry protested, feeling sad that she would automatically pin all the blame on him.

"No? You were the one closest to him. You were the one calling him an ass! Are you telling me that you didn't hex him?" Hermione demanded, fighting to keep her emotions in check. "I find that very difficult to believe. Or are you going to blame this on your door guardian as well?" she couldn't resist adding snidely.

Harry shook his head sadly. "So just because I called Ron an ass, I'm automatically to blame? In spite of the fact that I was not holding my wand at the time? What if I called you a snot-nosed, stuck up baboon? Will that turn you into an ape? Come on, Hermione, say something, if you dare."

Hermione sniffed and stuck her nose into the air. "I know you had something to do with that hex. Just you wait until I find proof, I'll-"

"Since you are clearly fine, let's get this meeting under way," Harry said, dismissing the witch and her threats. "I bet you are all wondering why I called you here, since the first official DA meeting is tomorrow night. Due to miscommunications, I was not informed beforehand of the headmaster's plans for the DA and I have been scrambling to try and figure out a way to make it work with so many students. I have come up with a few ideas, but I am going to need some help." Harry took a deep breath and looked out around the room once more.

"Tomorrow I am going to test everyone to find out their strength and their weakness. Well, at least so I can form a vague picture of their abilities. The DA will then be split into three groups, Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Each group will meet on their own night.

"However, I will need help with instructing the Beginner and the Intermediate groups, and that is why you are here tonight. I was wondering if there are any of you who'd be interested in helping me? Are any of you considering becoming teachers? This would be a great opportunity for you to get some practise. As a bribe, I can mention that those interested in helping me teach will get advanced training from Lucius Malfoy and myself.

"I also realise that you have lives of your own and won't be able to attend every meeting, but if you could assist me a few times a month that would be a great help. You don't have to decide tonight, it is enough if you give me your answer by Friday.

"There is one more thing." Harry looked each and everyone in the eye. "During the DA there will be _no_ House rivalry. Each and everyone will be judged by their skills, not what House they were sorted into. We all know it worked here among us last year. I will make that clear to those attending tomorrow, if they don't like that rule, they can leave. No one is forcing them to do this.

"There is one last issue I have for you. It is about the name. We jokingly named ourselves Dumbledore's Army. That name is hardly suitable now. For one, we are not an army, and second, we do not belong to Dumbledore. I would like to hear what you think our new association should be named. Any questions?"

"Are you going to allow the Slytherins to join?" Hermione called out after some persistent nudging from Ron.

"Yes, I am. I know most of us look at them as miniature Death Eaters. They aren't. Many of their parents are, I am not denying that, but the students here at this school has yet to take the Mark."

"Come on, Harry, they will take what they learn here and use it against us!" Ron shouted angrily, unable to keep quiet. Then he beamed in happiness at having his voice back, although a few groaned softly in annoyance. They had actually enjoyed the redhead's predicament. Besides, it had saved them from listening to anymore rants about how Harry Potter was turning Dark.

"Will they? Perhaps. I don't know that. Neither do you. We have all been raised with the belief that Slytherin is the epitome of evil, that they are slimy snakes that will stab you in the back. But what about the other Houses? None of them are exactly pure as snow," Harry snorted. "Yet no one is considering excluding them."

"That is not the same thing..." Ron began to protest.

"No? It was a Gryffindor who betrayed my parents. Peter Pettigrew was my parent's Secret Keeper, remember? It was a Ravenclaw who betrayed this group to Umbridge last year. During the past five years I've attended this school, _all_ the houses has turned their back on me for one reason or another. Yet none of those students are accused of being backstabbers. Once I was proven in the right, everyone just forgot about their actions and went on with their lives as if nothing had happened," Harry said, glaring daggers at Ron.

"Voldemort is a Slytherin, yes, it is true. He was an orphan, forced to grow up in a Muggle orphanage when his Muggle father turned his back on him because his wife was a witch. His mother died in childbirth. He was all alone in this world. Then he came here. The other Houses shunned him because he was a Slytherin. His own House shunned him because he was a Half-blood. If one single person had reached out a hand to this lonely boy, becoming his friend, maybe there would be no Voldemort today. Just maybe there wouldn't be a war going on right now because he would have had something other than his anger to fuel his ambitions.

"Can you blame the Slytherins for joining him? Where else are they welcome? Three fourth of the wizarding world views them with suspicion. As soon as they hear the name of their House, they cease being viewed as a person, and are instead viewed as a... an incarnation of evil or something. What would you do if all your life you've been told that you are evil? That the world would have been better off if you hadn't been born? Who would you turn to? Wouldn't you join the one man who is offering you the opportunity to live your life without the prejudice? Turn to the one man who is saying that you will become more powerful than your tormentors, thus allowing you to live your life in peace? Well, what _would_ you do?" Harry asked, looking across the room, noting with hidden pleasure that a few seemed to actually think about what he'd said.

"I'm not saying you should all run out of here and embrace the Slytherins with open arms. Many _have_ been raised by Death Eaters, and some believe the nonsense Voldemort is sprouting. All I am asking you is to stop hating them because of the House they belong to. That is all."

Noting the pensive look on many faces and the way Ron had gone red, Harry decided he'd given them enough things to consider that night and said as much.

"I know I've given you a lot to think about, so I'll leave you to talk this out amongst yourselves. You know where to find me if you want to talk. Good night."

Harry headed for the door and slipped outside, Draco on his heels.

"That was quite an earful you gave them, love." Draco said wrapping an arm around his mate's shoulders.

"I know. I hadn't planned on it though. Just... Ron got me so mad. He's acting as if all the other Houses are so goody, goody, and only the Slytherins are evil and bad. The world doesn't work like that."

"I know. But you can't expect to change something that's taken years to build up," Draco soothed.

"Maybe not, but I can bloody well try and get them to think before they speak!" Harry growled.

"Let's head back. I bet you'll feel better after some hot cocoa and cake," Draco said, batting his lashes at Harry.

Harry snorted but didn't disagree. Together they made their way down the corridor when suddenly Harry started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Draco demanded to know.

"Oh I just remembered what Severus said as the two of you left for the dungeons yesterday," Harry sniggered.

Draco began to chuckle as well as he remembered the scene.

_Following his godfather, Draco had been forced to stop when the man paused in the doorway, looking back towards Harry. With a glint in his black eyes, the Potions Master said, "Ten points to Slytherin_,_ Mr. Potter, for a well thought out revenge, and ten points more for getting away undetected. Clearly, Draco has been a good influence on you. Good night." _

_He had left then while Harry was still spluttering, torn between outrage that the points had gone to Slytherin, and pride that the hard taskmaster had given out points at all._

"I can't believe that Severus gave me twenty points for playing a prank on the Headmaster. Just typical of him though to give the points to his House and not to Gryffindor. That man is _so_ Slytherin." Harry sniggered.

"Of course he is. You didn't think just anyone can waltz in and become Head of House, did you?"

"Considering my experience with Defence professors..." Harry said meaningfully, trailing off.

Draco grunted but did not comment.

HPDM

"I don't believe him!" Ron seethed after his ex-friend had left. Followed by that bloody Malfoy. It was all the blond's fault that he had lost his best friend.

"I don't know, Ron. Much of what he said made sense, actually," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Hermione!" Ron turned on his girlfriend.

"Oh, shush, Ron. I know Malfoy has always acted like a pompous git towards us. Not to mention Parkinson, but Zabini has never done anything towards us and neither has Nott. Not Bulstrode either, not really. Yet we all view them in the same light as we do Malfoy. Harry has a point, I might not like it, but he does."

"Come on, Hermione! Don't tell me he is getting to you too!" Ron shouted, waving his arms angrily.

"Stuff it, Ron! That is not the issue here!" Ginny snapped angrily at her brother. "The issue is, are we going to help Harry teach the beginners? I know I will do what I can to help."

"As will I," Neville nodded. "I wonder what extra training we will be getting? I bet Mr. Malfoy knows a lot of useful spells."

"Neville, hello! The man is a Death Eater!" Ron bellowed.

"Who better to teach us how to defend ourselves against one?" Ginny asked. "Besides, his son is mated to Harry. There is no way he is going to turn him, or us, over to Voldemort. Grow up Ron, it's high time!" Ginny said, advancing on her brother, an angry gleam in her eyes.

The pair was soon involved in a screaming match with Hermione and Neville trying to break them up. The others watched for a few minutes, but soon they began to drift off to their respective common rooms. They had been given a lot to think about, and Ron's shouting did nothing to clear the confusion many felt.

* * *

**Next Time:**  
We find out what is inside a few of the trunks Harry bought.  
Until Then… 


	32. A Whole Lot of Trunks

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

**A/N:** I can't believe the number of reviews each chapter gives me. Thank you so very much to everyone taking the time to press that blue little button.

Thank you Vaughn for being my Beta. Any mistakes left are my own.

* * *

**A Whole Lot of Trunks**

Harry was enjoying his cocoa and the easy banter between Lucius and Severus when he suddenly remembered. Putting his cup down, he rose to his feet and went to his room. Digging around in his bag, it didn't take him long to fish out the Transporter he had received from Abigail the day before. With everything that had happened, he had totally forgotten about it.

Returning to the living room, giving the other three a suspicious look at the anxious look _they_ were giving _him_, Harry sat back down in his seat. Deciding that he didn't want to know, Harry began to toy with the stone disk.

"When I bought those two trunks," he began, nodding towards the two steamer trunks still sitting on the floor, "I was told the shopkeeper had several trunks tucked away in the attic. I was asked if I was interested in buying them, and after some thought, I did. I received the Transporter yesterday. The thing is, there are over twenty trunks coming, and there is no way we can put them in here. There just isn't room. Not to mention that Abigail has no idea what they contain. Any suggestions?"

Lucius and Severus shared a look. "I suppose we could use the spare room in my suite," Lucius mused. "Since we don't know what's in them, and considering the amount of potions ingredients present in Severus' rooms, I think that would be the least volatile solution."

"Great! Can we bring them here now?" Harry asked, literally bouncing in his seat.

"Why not?" Lucius agreed with a laugh. It was good to see that Harry still was capable of childish behaviours, especially considering recent events.

"Cool!" Draco cried in delight, already half-way across the room and practically out the door. "Well, come on! What are you waiting for? Who knows what treasures Harry has bought this time!"

The two men rolled their eyes, but they obediently rose from their seats and ambled after the hyper blond. To tell the truth, they were just as curious as Draco was, they were only better at hiding it. Having spent some quality time with Harry, they were learning to expect just about anything. And starting to know the Harry Potter phenomenon bit better, they were convinced that the trunks would hold either worthless junk, or treasures untold. Probably the latter.

Harry snorted and shook his head. It was good to see Draco acting childish and carefree. It gave him hopes that maybe he wasn't ruining things for the other boy, what with the weirdness that always seemed to follow him around.

Entering the set of rooms Dumbledore had given him, Lucius didn't hesitate as he walked over to an unused bedroom, motioning for the others to follow him. "Why don't we put the trunks in here until we've had a chance to look through them?" he suggested, throwing the door open.

Stepping inside, the four of them surveyed the room. It wasn't much to write home about, containing only a bed, a nightstand and a small wardrobe. With a flick of his wand, Lucius had the few pieces of furniture stacked along one wall, leaving the centre of the floor empty.

Harry stepped forward and placed the Transporter on the floor, tapping it twice with his wand. Moments later, twenty-three trunks had arrived, carefully stacked on top of each other. Lucius lifted an eyebrow and shooed the boys out of the room, while Severus cast several detection spells, examining each trunk the best he could considering a few of them were blocked from view.

"The good news is that there is not a trace of Black Magic here that I can detect. Dark Magic, I cannot say for sure. Several of these trunks have preservation spells on them, and I'd like to save those for later, when we know a bit more what the other trunks contain. Just to be on the safe side," Severus said, coming to stand by the door with the others.

"Can we open one of the other trunks, Dad?" Draco asked, brimming with excitement.

"Harry?" Lucius asked with a quirked eyebrow, already knowing the answer.

"Please!"

Severus and Lucius shared a look and a snort of amusement. Turning his attention to the stack of trunks, Severus walked over to it and carefully levitated the top one to the side, placing it gently on the floor out of the way. "That is one of the ones with preservations spells on it," he explained, levitating the next trunk to sit at their feet.

Seeing how eager Draco was to find out what was in the trunk, Harry made a sweeping gesture with his arm. "Please, be my guest, Draco. You'll probably have an easier time than me telling what is junk and what isn't," he added with a chuckle.

Draco wasn't about to be told twice. With a few bouncy steps he was next to the trunk, and he dropped gracefully to his knees, eagerly reaching out and opening the lid. Or rather, he tried to. The trunk was locked. Fortunately for the blond's temper, a simple _Alohamora_ was enough to unlock it. Peering inside, Draco wasn't sure what to feel when all he saw was hundreds if not thousands of small boxes, all which fitted comfortably in the palm of his hand. Not a book in sight.

Lucius, who'd been peering over his son's shoulder, cast a spell to double-check that the contents were safe, and he lifted a pale eyebrow when he discovered that each box had a preserving charm on them. Bending down, he picked up one of the boxes, being forced to levitate it in the end since the boxes were fitted so snugly. Cancelling the charm, he opened the box carefully, fully aware that he was taking a chance but too curious to leave it for later. Besides, he had every confidence that Severus would be able to react quickly at the first sign of danger.

Peaking inside the small box, Lucius could feel the blood drain from his face and it was sheer willpower that prevented his hands from trembling. The box contained seeds. Lots and lots of seeds, and the words _Blue Dragon_ were carved on the inside of the lid.

Having seen the older Veela's reaction, Severus shifted his stance slightly so he could peer inside the box as well, holding his wand at ready just in case. "Salazar and his ancestors," he whispered with reverence, when he too noted the name carved into the lid.

"Is that all?" Draco asked, feeling rather disappointed.

"Bite your tongue, son! Don't you know what the Blue Dragon is? Or rather, was?" Lucius asked, torn between outrage at the casual dismissal and elation at the extraordinary find. Trust Harry Potter to find proof that the legend was true. Scholars had been arguing for centuries whether the plant existed or not, and here was a sixteen-year-old boy, who without even knowing the dispute existed, had put an end to that age-old feud. That is, if the inscription in the lid was true. Lucius couldn't help but shake his head at the improbability of it all.

The two boys shared a glance before shaking their heads, unaware of the conflicting thoughts inside the elder Malfoy's head.

"It was a flower," Severus replied. "It is said to be the most delicate shade of blue ever seen. The scent is said to be able to calm even the angriest of men. And, according to the legend, a war between two countries was stopped when the daughters of the two fighting rulers brought armfuls of the Blue Dragon to the battlefield. No one has seen this flower for at least a thousand years. It was thought to be a myth, a legend," Severus lectured, reaching out to gently touch the top layer of the valuable cargo. Already his agile mind was gathering all the knowledge he could remember from reading about the rare plant, and he was almost giddy with excitement at the thoughts of all the experiments he could conduct on the seeds alone. With Harry's permission, of course.

"Do you think the seeds are salvageable? Do you think it is still possible for them to germinate and grow?" Harry asked eagerly, bending down to open up a second box.

"Maybe. Probably. I'm not sure. I'm not a Herbology expert. I suggest you talk to Professor Sprout, she should know. I also suggest we leave these boxes alone until an expert has had a chance to look at them," Lucius added, stopping Draco from opening a third box.

Draco nodded reluctantly and Harry agreed after a quick look at the inside of the one he was holding. "Silver-bells," he said simply, and even Draco had heard of that one.

"If it turns out they cannot be grown, I still want them to experiment on," Severus said, worried that Harry would throw the seeds away, thinking them useless if that was the case. "I might still be able to use them in a potion or two."

Harry sent the man a smile and a nod.

Carefully they put the boxes back, reapplying the preservation charms on the two opened boxes, and closed the lid of the trunk. In a moment of inspiration Harry conjured a note and wrote _Seed_ on it, sticking it to the lid.

Lucius placed the trunk to the side and brought the next one down. A second _Alohamora_ and Draco threw the lid back, both excited and disappointed when this one only contained several bags made of cloth.

Gently opening a bag, Draco poured the contents into his hand and gasped when a beautiful black opal dropped into his palm.

"This gem is priceless!" Lucius said with some awe, picking it up with care from his son. "I have never seen an opal of such fine quality. It is worth a fortune!"

He was still examining it while Draco and Harry opened several of the bags. It turned out that each bag contained one or more precious stones of highest quality. However, to Draco's disappointment, the entire trunk wasn't filled with such treasures. Beneath them were a stack of books, and he soon forgot everything when he lost himself in a book about cauldron making.

Severus had several times told him of how Merlin and a few other powerful wizards and witches throughout history had created their own cauldrons from rare metals and stones. The art was long since forgotten and here was a book, written in an old rune language he had trouble reading, describing step by step how it was done!

"Harry Potter, I love you! And so will Severus once he gets a look at this book! But he can't have you!" he added, feeling a surge of jealousy at the thought of Severus kissing his mate.

"What book is that?" Severus asked with curiosity, looking up from the book he himself had been reading with avid interest.

"Don't worry, Draco, he can't have me. What's the book about anyway?" Harry asked, wrinkling the nose at the mental image the Veela's words had produced, not noticing the jealousy glittering in Lucius' eyes.

"The title is: _How to Make Cauldrons From Precious Stones._ Do you think that's what that great-grand father was going to do?" Draco asked, not protesting as long, slim fingers plucked the book from his hands.

"I have no idea. It would be a crime to use these stones to make cauldrons though, wouldn't it?" Harry asked, looking at the opal Lucius was still unconsciously toying with.

"Most certainly!" Lucius agreed with a shudder.

"Have either of you _any_ idea how valuable this book is?" Severus cut in, disbelief colouring his voice, and his hands were trembling slightly. "Have you any idea what book this _is_, for that matter?"

"Severus?" Lucius asked, getting worried at his mate's reactions.

Looking up at the aristocrat, Severus held out the book for the other man to look at. "Tell me I'm not seeing things. Tell me I'm not going crazy. Tell me you see the mark as well," he all but begged of the older Malfoy.

Getting really worried now, Lucius sank to his knees next to his mate, and carefully examined the book. Running his sensitive fingers over the leather, silvery eyes widened and sought out onyx ones. "It can't be," he stuttered. Reluctantly he broke the eye contact with Severus and looked down at what his fingertips were feeling.

"Dad?" Draco asked with some concern, not understanding what the fuss was about.

"Merlin!" Lucius murmured, all of his attention still focused on the book.

"Dad?" Draco asked once more, placing a hand on his father's shoulder.

"Merlin," Lucius said, looking up at his son, his eyes swimming with emotions.

Draco frowned. It had to be something extremely disturbing for his father to invoke Merlin's name and not Salazar's. "I don't understand," Draco admitted reluctantly. He hated to admit that he didn't understand or know something. It was not the Malfoy way to openly admit such things. A Malfoy used all his skills and cunning to find out that which he did not know, and he did not tell the world as if he were some silly Hufflepuff.

Severus huffed a small laugh, figuring what was going through Draco's mind at the moment. "This book was written by Merlin himself," he explained, reaching out to trace the marked carved into the old leather on the inside of the cover.

"Really? How can you tell?" Harry asked, moving to stand behind the Potions Master, peeking over his shoulder.

"See this mark? Merlin put it on every book he ever wrote. He used magic, and so far, no one has been able to figure out how he did it. And no one has been able to duplicate it either, making it impossible to create a fake," Lucius explained, having pulled himself together.

"Practically everyone knows that Merlin created at least one cauldron using Dream stones, but no one has been able to duplicate what he did. Merlin carefully guarded that secret. This is… this is an incredible find and if you were to make it public… Harry, you could name your price and have it met. You could ask for anything, and it would be given to you," Severus said, turning slightly so he could look the brunet teen in the eyes. "Not to mention that every shady dealer and collector would do everything in their power to get their hands on this book," he added solemnly, as the situation slowly sank in.

"Wow. Umm, I guess we better keep it secret then," Harry murmured, a little shocked that the innocent looking trunk had contained such a treasure. Then he grew concerned; Abigail had really gotten the raw end of this deal. He looked over at the pile of trunks sitting on the floor.

"Harry, with your permission, I would like to take this book back to the Manor. It would be safe there. And I give you my word that anytime you would like to study it, I will take you to it," Lucius said as he too began to realise the potential danger this finding had created.

Harry straightened and began to pace around the room. Trust him to create even more problems for the people around him. Part of him wanted to just chuck the book into a corner and forget all about it, but the bigger part of him knew that that wasn't possible. The cat was out of the bag. The book was found. A secret would not be kept a secret for long, and he could just imagine what Dumbledore would do if he ever found out. Taking into account the old man's love of using _Legilimens_ on his students… What if he wasn't the only one with that habit? Wouldn't that explain why secrets never stayed a secret within Hogwarts?

Coming to stand next to Lucius, he looked up at the older man. "Please," he said simply. "And could you take the trunk with seeds with you too? Should we move the other trunks as well?" he wondered, a pang of regret at not being able to examine them shooting through him. He had actually looked forward to going through them together with Draco.

As if the blond boy had heard Harry's thoughts, he moved closer to the teen and wrapped an arm around him, leaning his head against a handy shoulder.

"No, I don't think that will be necessary," Lucius disagreed after a moment of thought. "We don't know for sure that the contents are dangerous. And both Severus and I can put up wards that will alert us if anyone tries to sneak in here without our knowledge."

Harry sighed in relief; he really didn't want to move the trunks before he knew what was in them. Then he yawned.

Both Severus and Lucius chuckled.

"It is getting late and I suggest you head off to bed. You both have classes early in the morning and don't forget, there is the DA meeting tomorrow night," Lucius said, reaching out to ruffle the dark locks.

"I guess you are right," Harry said reluctantly, looking longingly at the remaining trunks.

"Don't worry, child, they will still be here tomorrow. I promise not to peek."

Harry laughed and allowed himself to be steered to the door. "Good night, Lucius, Severus, and thank you both for your help."

"It was my pleasure. Good night, you two rascals, and please, no more surprises. I'm not as young as I used to be," Lucius mock complained.

Harry and Draco shared an incredulous look. "Yeah, right, Dad, whatever. Good night, see you tomorrow," Draco replied for the both of them, sending his father a cheeky grin.

"Get out of here, you brats," Severus mock growled, causing the boys to burst out in giggles.

"Wouldn't it be cool to make your own cauldron out of Dream stone? It is said that Merlin had one of those, and he created the most amazing potions with it," Draco said dreamily as they made it back to their own rooms.

"I guess," Harry shrugged, not really understanding what had Draco so thrilled. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired. I'm off to bed, see you tomorrow," he said, walking through the doorway and making a beeline for his own room.

Draco watched him with a worried frown. He didn't like the thought of Harry sleeping on his own. He especially didn't like the thought of Harry sleeping on his own in his room. Harry still had his trunk in there. Severus had confiscated that horrid potion, but who knew what else the teen had down there? Would Harry try and go back down there? He had seemed less depressed the further along the day went, but considering what a good actor his mate was, could he trust that cheerfulness?

Making up his mind, Draco went to his own bedroom and prepared for the night. His teeth brushed and dressed in his favourite pyjamas, the Veela determinedly walked over to his mate's room, right up to the bed and without as much as a by your leave, he climbed under the covers and made himself comfortable.

"What on earth are you doing?" Harry asked, not sure if he should feel outraged or amused.

"I'm getting comfortable, what does it look like I'm doing?" Draco snarked, sneaking an arm across Harry's chest and sighing in bliss as he snuggled down next to his mate.

"And you can't get comfortable in your own bed because…?" Harry asked, settling on being amused.

"Because you aren't in it," Draco replied truthfully. Lifting up his head, he gave Harry a suggestive look. "Want to come over to my place?"

"Said the spider to the fly," Harry said dryly, his lips twitching as he tried to suppress the sniggers that were welling up within him.

"I am so not some common spider," Draco huffed, snuggling down under the covers once more.

Harry gave up containing his amusement and broke off into a peal of laughter. "I never said you were common, now did I?" he asked once he could talk again.

"Prat," Draco said with an amused smile of his own, taking delight in the beautiful sight his laughing mate made.

Harry settled down next to Draco. He wasn't stupid, he knew fully well why the Veela had chosen to climb into his bed. And while he ought to take umbrage that Draco didn't trust him, he kind of understood what was driving the other boy. He would be doing the same thing if the roles had been opposite. Deciding that any soul-searching conversations could wait until morning, Harry inched closer to the other boy and closed his eyes with a content sigh. Besides, Draco was extremely nice to sleep next to, so why kick him out of bed when he helped keep the nightmares away?

Draco felt Harry move closer and he smiled tenderly. Things were looking good. No, they were looking better than good. Hopefully Harry would be ready to bond with him soon, because Draco was not about to let the other boy go. Not now, not ever. Echoing his mate's sigh of contentment, Draco closed his eyes and went to sleep.

HPDM

Lucius glanced over at where Severus was leaning against the doorjamb to the spare bedroom. "Who would have thought?" he asked with a small smile, still feeling overwhelmed about their unexpected finds.

"Who indeed?" Severus drawled. "Considering that the brat was involved, I should have expected something like this. That boy will never lead a normal life, and I hope you and Draco are up to dealing with it."

"Me and Draco? What about you?"

"Me? Why would I care?" Severus asked with a teasing smile.

Lucius snorted. "Nice try, Sev. The moment these Marks are off, you will be mine, and that means that you will be just as involved in helping me deal with the boys as I will be. And don't you dare trying to wriggle out of it by hiding yourself away in your lab, experimenting!" Lucius growled, not entirely joking.

"Don't worry, Luce. You will do a wonderful job with those boys, and you know it!" Severus said in an attempt to comfort.

"Nice try," Lucius repeated with an amused smile. "But flattery will not get you out of helping me keep those two in line. And you never told me what you think of those," he added, gesturing towards the pile of trunks sitting in the middle of the room, looking innocent.

Severus smiled ruefully; the blond knew him too well. Looking down at his feet, he pinched his lower lip while gathering his thoughts. "I can't say I'm surprised those trunks turned out to contain something rare, extremely valuable, and potentionally dangerous," he began slowly. "Harry Potter was born under a cursed star, and those surrounding him better get used to that fact quickly. That said, I find that Harry is a sweet boy, which is surprising considering the life he has led so far. If anyone deserved making the find of the century, hell the find of the millennia, it is that boy. Besides, he will do the right thing and he will undoubtedly look out for the good of the many and won't only look for his own gain. What are your thoughts on all this?" Severus asked after he had had his say, neatly volleying the ball back to the Veela.

"I think Draco is extremely fortunate to have Harry as his mate. My son has many faults, I am well aware of that, and one of them is that he easily gets bored. Harry, I think, will never allow him to get bored with him, he will constantly keep Draco on his toes. Harry has a rather unique outlook on life, and I find that I don't mind that much, especially since it has already caused him to make several important finds in places none of us would _ever_ consider looking. I mean, a junkshop? I only pray that nothing will happen that will prevent them from bonding. Harry has a lot of scars, many of the emotional, and Draco will have an uphill struggle until they have been assessed and healed."

"Don't worry, Lucius. They are already connecting. Harry has been surprisingly open to the idea of the two of them bonding, especially considering their past. They will be fine. With you there to guide them, how can't they be anything else?"

"Thank you, Sev, I needed to hear that," Lucius admitted, stepping closer to his mate and enveloping him into a hug.

Severus stiffened at the unexpected close contact, but slowly he relaxed and returned the hug. "Don't worry so much, my friend, we will be fine. We will _all_ be fine. Any other outcome is unacceptable."

Lucius chuckled into Severus' neck and slowly he pulled away. It was killing him not being able to freely be with his mate, but the time was not yet right. But soon.

"So, when will you take the book to the Manor?" Severus asked, more to get a little distance between them than a burning desire to know.

"Tonight, I think," Lucius replied, forcing himself to take a step back. "I don't want to keep it here longer than necessary, and Salazar alone knows what will happen tomorrow."

Severus sniggered. "I'm sure it will be something highly entertaining."

Lucius mock growled but was forced to agree. When Harry and Draco were involved, there was never a dull moment. Gathering the book and the trunk, not daring to shrink either for fear of damaging them, the aristocrat prepared himself for a quick trip home. He had a feeling that he was going to need a good night's sleep to be able to deal with tomorrow. If nothing else, Dumbledore would be sure to hunt him down and demand an explanation for the boys missing class. Pushing all thoughts of that old fool from his mind, Lucius locked up the spare room tight, and left with his mate for the trek to the front door, and the Apparation point beyond.

It wasn't until he landed in his study that Lucius remembered that they had forgotten to extract a promise from Harry not to go into his trunk on his own for a while. Hesitating briefly, Lucius considered returning to Hogwarts immediately, more worried than he'd like to admit. Looking down at the book in his hands, he sighed and went to hide it where not even Narcissa could get her hands on it. If he knew his son, Draco would not leave Harry out of sight for a very long time. They should be all right for one night.

* * *

**Next Time:  
**Harry has a nightmare,  
And we find out more about where Remus Lupin is.  
Until Then… 


	33. Early Morning Musings

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

Thank you Vaughn for being my Beta. Any mistakes left are my own

* * *

**Early Morning Musings**

**Day 10: Wednesday**

_Harry ran down the corridors of Hogwarts. He had to find Draco. He wasn't sure why, he only knew that something terrible would happen if he didn't. _

_Rounding a corner, Harry sighed in relief as he saw the Veela's fair hair practically shine in the dimly lit corridor. Opening his mouth to call out to his boyfriend, Harry froze as he saw himself move towards Draco, whose face lightened up in a happy smile. _

"_No," Harry whispered in anguish, suddenly just _knowing_ that things were about to turn ugly. "No!" he shouted, trying to rush forward, to stop whatever was about to happen. But to his horror Harry found that he could not move. He shouted once more to alert Draco of the danger, but the blond boy didn't hear him._

"_Harry!" Draco cried out in happiness. "There you are. I've been looking all over for you. Where were you?"_

"_I was working on getting you a present," the wrong Harry said with a tender smile. "Do you want to see it?"_

"_Are you kidding? Of course I want to see it!" Draco replied, sounding and looking really excited._

"_Draco, no!" Harry cried, fighting to get closer to the other boy, but it was as if he was walking in quicksand or something. The events taking place before his eyes seemed to happen at an accelerated pace, while he was moving excruciating slow._

"_As you wish," the other Harry said, and with a smile, he threw his hands forward. Lights appeared at the tip of his fingers, and throwing his head back, laughing like a maniac, the lights shot forward, into Draco's chest._

_Draco looked down, surprise and confusion evident on his face. Looking back up at Harry, he managed to get out a, "What…?" before he exploded like a firecracker._

"_Nooo!" Harry shouted, and finally, _finally_, he was able to move again. Rushing forward__, he grasped the other Harry and threw him against the wall. "Why?" he demanded, "why did you do that? Why did you kill Draco!"_

_Harry just smirked at him. "Because I could."_

"_No." Harry shook his head and slowly began to back away from the laughing figure in front of him. "No," he whispered, heartbroken. "Noooooo!" he threw his head back and screamed._

"Nooooo!"

Draco was startled awake by a hair-curling scream. Shooting up in bed, he looked around wildly in an attempt to find out where it was coming from. A moaning sob had him turning towards his mate, and he realised with a start that it was Harry who had screamed. Fully awake in an instant, he reached out and shook Harry's shoulder, trying to rouse him, but Harry merely moaned and curled up in a tight ball.

Filled with an urgent need to wake his mate _now_, Draco grabbed his wand and dosed Harry with icy cold water. It worked wonders and the brunet sat up with a gasp. Looking around widely, much as Draco had done minutes earlier, Harry began to cry when he saw Draco sitting there, alive and whole. With a strangled sob, he shot forward and wrapped himself around the Veela, causing him to gasp when the cold body hit him.

Draco rallied though, and instantly wrapped his arms around his mate, attempting to soothe him.

It took several long minutes before Harry even began to calm down, and Draco was content to whisper sweet nonsense into his ear and run his hand up and down the still too thin back, only pausing long enough to spell both of them warm and dry. Lucius would kill him if he got the two of the sick, and Pomfrey would take too much delight in torturing them with potions and bed rest. Draco shuddered at the mere thought of such a fate.

"I'm sorry."

Harry's soft whisper brought Draco out of his imaginary visit to the hospital wing and he looked down at the dark head resting on his shoulder.

"Whatever for? You had a nightmare. Everyone gets those now and then," Draco murmured, wanting to get rid of the sadness and the guilt he could hear in his mate's voice.

"You don't understand," Harry whispered miserably. "I killed you."

"No, you didn't," Draco immediately replied, thinking that Harry was referring to the scene yesterday morning.

"No." Harry shook his head before lifting it so he could look Draco in the eye. "In my dream, I was looking for you. But the other Harry found you first. You asked me, the other me I mean, where I had been, and he told you that he had prepared you a gift, and then he gave it to you. Draco, he, I, killed you. When I asked him why, he said 'because I could'. He was right, you know. I could kill you. I'm powerful enough to kill everyone inside this castle. What if-"

"Nonsense!" Draco cut in, wanting to derail that line of thinking immediately. "Yes, you are powerful. Extremely powerful, even, but, Harry, it isn't in your nature to kill anyone. Yes, you probably could kill just about everyone in this castle. But love, so could I. Salazar knows I've been well trained in the lighter of the Dark Arts. Are you going to abandon me now?" Draco asked with some trepidation. It was one thing for his mate to know he was a Slytherin, it was something else to have proof that Draco had been trained in the Dark Arts. Not the darker parts of the arts, but would Harry realise and understand there was a difference?

"Don't be stupid!" Harry said forcefully, anger lacing his voice. "I know you, Draco Malfoy, and you are not about to use those skills on anyone unless you are defending yourself or your loved ones."

"Why is it that you can accept that I'm not about to go on a killing spree, but you can't accept that you won't do the same?" Draco asked gently, reaching up to brush a lock of hair away from Harry's face.

"Because I know you," Harry repeated, looking down, unable to meet Draco's silvery eyes, which shone with trust and love.

"That would sort of imply that you don't know yourself," Draco said, his agile mind picking up on the things Harry wasn't saying.

Harry merely shrugged, still refusing to look at the Veela.

"Hmm," Draco mused, his mind going a mile a minute. Thinking back on the things he knew about Harry, or rather, the things he'd thought he knew about Harry, he suddenly realised something. "You poor thing," he whispered, hugging Harry close to him. "You've been hiding yourself, who you really are that is, all this time, haven't you? You made the hat place you in Gryffindor instead of Slytherin, where you belong, and to fit in you had to hide big parts of yourself. But it goes further back than that, doesn't it? You had to hide who you were from the Muggles as well, and now when you are finally free to be yourself, you have no idea who that is. That is why you are so freaked out, isn't it? _That_ is why you are so afraid of your new powers," Draco said excitedly.

Feeling Harry stiffen and try to pull away, Draco tightened his hold for a moment before allowing Harry some space.

"How did you know?" Harry whispered, brushing a teardrop away with the back of his hand.

"It wasn't difficult once I put all the pieces together. Remember, I'm a Slytherin, I'm used to analysing what is said, and more importantly, the things that are _not_ said."

Harry chuckled weakly and Draco beamed at him.

"You are not alone anymore, love. And I will not turn my back on you, no matter who you turn out to be. I am part Veela, for better and for worse, I have chosen you. You are the one person on this earth that compliments me. How could I turn my back on that? It is only a fortunate bonus that you are both smart and gorgeous. Not that a Malfoy would ever pick someone as a mate who wasn't witty, clever, and handsome," Draco added, breaking into a smug grin when his plot to make Harry laugh worked.

"You, Draco Malfoy, are a prat, but I find that I like you," Harry said with a shy smile.

"How could you not?" Draco asked with a teasing smile. He then became serious. "I will stand by your side, today and always. We will find out together who it is you are, and we will live happily ever after. I promise. Now, I don't know about you, but I could use some more sleep. Do you think you could get back to sleep, or do you need a Dreamless Sleep Potion?"

"Nah, I'm fine," Harry said with a small smile. Waiting until Draco had made himself comfortable, the brunet snuggled down next to the Veela, and waited for him to nod off. It didn't take long, and Harry raised himself up onto one elbow, looking down at the blond who was looking so peaceful in his sleep.

Sighing softly, he reached out and traced a finger down a soft cheek, starting at the temple and going all the way down to the moist lips. Draco made a mewling sound and nuzzled the finger, silently demanding more petting. Harry was only too happy to comply.

Making himself comfortable, Harry continued to watch the other boy sleep while he thought about what Draco had said. Could it really be that simple? Had he hidden whom he was for so long that not even he knew who he was anymore? Was that why he had felt as if his world had fallen apart when he discovered his inheritance? No longer was he Harry Potter, a wizard of wizarding parents. Instead, he was something else, and he was no longer so sure that his parents had even been a wizard and a witch. His inheritance had to come from somewhere, right? And he didn't think this was something that had been transferred to him by Voldemort's spell.

In fact, Harry slowly realised, he had been doubting Dumbledore's words more and more this past summer. He wasn't so sure anymore that his Parseltongue ability came from that misfired spell. What if it was a gift he had inherited from his ancestors? It was possible. Especially since he didn't even know who his ancestors were, for Merlin's sake! He could have all kinds of beings in his family tree, and he didn't know because no one had bothered to tell him. And he had been too scared to have his suspicions confirmed; he had never done any of the potions designed to find out your ancestry. What did that little fact say about the Boy Who Lived?

_Damn it, but Draco was right! I don't know who I am. For so long I was Dursleys' whipping boy. And then, when I found out I was a wizard, I was so elated, and at the same time I was furious because that meant that my 'family' had lied to me all these years. And I was unable to confront them about it, because I was too scared about_ _what would happen if I did. So I just pushed my feelings aside, and focused on being a wizard._

_But things didn't turn out to be that simple, did they? From day one, I was told that I was the Boy Who Lived. The one who had destroyed the evil Dark Lord. No wonder I began to feel schizophrenic! On one hand, I was this skinny kid who had no idea he was a wizard, and on the other hand I was this powerful wizard who had destroyed You Know Who when I was one year old!_

_On top of that, I did ask the hat not to put me in Slytherin. Scared stiff that I would be considered Dark and Evil, afraid that I wouldn't get any friends if I was placed in that House, and ending up being shunned by the wizarding world just as I had been by the Muggle one. _

Harry chuckled darkly. _Damn! Dumbledore really did know what he was doing when he placed me with my relatives. He created an insecure little boy, who acquired a hero complex a mile wide_ _after constantly hearing he had single-handedly saved everyone. And after the happenings in my first year, it was cemented in my mind that I was to save everyone. After all, I had survived two encounters with Voldemort, not something many could brag about._

No wonder he had been so devastated after Cedric's death.

But Draco was right again – and wouldn't the blond be unbearably smug if he knew what Harry was thinking? Cedric's death was not Harry's fault. He had been a fourteen-year-old kid. Cedric had been seventeen, and he still hadn't had a clue as what to do when faced with an unknown, potentionally hostile situation.

It was the fault of the Ministry and Dumbledore, Harry realised with a start. None of them had done anything to prepare the students for an eventual return of the Dark Lord. The wizarding society of Britain had buried their heads in the sand and had happily lived their lives as if nothing bad would ever happen again. And even if the threat of Lord Voldemort was a rather slim, there was still the threats of werewolves, Vampires, Lethifolds, Banshees, and Merlin alone knew what else. Just because Voldemort was gone, it did not mean that the wizarding world was without dangers. How could they not have prepared the students to face those dangers? Did they honestly think that the Aurors would somehow pop up and save the day?

Quirrell had been a joke! Lockhart hadn't even rated that high. Out of Harry's six years at Hogwarts, only one Defence teacher had been capable of teaching his subject. Well, he couldn't really say for sure how incompetent this year's teacher was, considering that he wasn't taking DADA. But he still had a feeling that the students were not being prepared adequately to face the dangers residing outside the walls of Hogwarts.

_Hmm, I think I need to talk to Lucius about this. Maybe we could put up some sort of practice course or something? Similar to the maze used in the Triwizard Tournament, only more fun and less lethal? Perhaps the Room of Requirement could be used?_

Sighing softly, Harry allowed that idea to be placed on a backburner. He had a feeling it would take a long time before the students were ready for anything like that. So he allowed his mind to drift, while his fingers carded gently through Draco's soft hair. He wasn't ready to ponder the things the blond had said at the moment. The vividness of his nightmare needed to dull a little before he felt comfortable enough to consider just exactly who he was. What he was.

Instead, he cast his mind back to the previous night. It had been so exiting, opening the trunks, and finding out what they contained. He still couldn't believe that they had found a book written by Merlin himself. And that was only two of the trunks, there was still twenty-one left to be explored.

He couldn't help to feel a bit bad for Abigail though. She had given up a fortune for only a measly fifteen Galleons per trunk. That was nothing compared to the untold wealth he had found so far. Maybe he could get her to accept a higher price? And why in Merlin's name hadn't her ancestor done anything with the trunks? He at least must have known what treasures he had gathered. Why had he just put it all in the attic to be forgotten about? It just didn't make sense!

Deciding to write the older woman a letter, Harry sat up carefully, not wanting to disturb Draco, who was still sleeping peacefully beside him. Calling a sturdy book, a quill, some ink, and a piece of paper to him, Harry considered what he wanted to say for a moment. Putting the quill against the parchment, he began to write.

_Dear Abigail,_

_I wanted to let you know that the trunks arrived here yesterday evening, safe and sound. I have already gone through a few of them, and I must admit that I am astonished at the wonderful things I have found so far._

Harry paused, but figured it would be safer for them all if he didn't specify what exactly it was he had found.

_The thing is, the items are worth far more than the few Galleons I paid you, and I feel that you got the short end of this bargain. I would feel much better if I were to pay you ten times the amount we originally agreed upon. Would that be all right with you? If not, write me back and I'll try to come and visit you in person to make this discussion easier to conduct. (I won't allow you to say no in this matter.)_

_I am also dying of curiosity regarding_ _why your great grandfather didn't do anything with the treasures he gathered. He must have known what it was he brought home, so why didn't he capitalise on his finds? Any light you care to shed on this matter would be greatly appreciated._

_Yours Truly,_

_Harry Potter._

Looking down at the letter, Harry frowned slightly. It wasn't the best letter he had ever written, but it would have to do. He was finally beginning to feel sleepy, and stacking the book, the letter, and the other things on his nightstand, Harry pulled off his glasses and snuggled down to lay next to Draco. Within moments he was fast asleep.

HPDM

Draco woke slowly and in stages, not ready yet to face the new day. For a long while he just lay there with his eyes closed and basked in the warmth of the bed and the nearness of his mate.

Eventually he was forced to come fully awake, as the buzz coming from Harry was driving him batty, not to mention that it was distracting as hell. Cracking an eye open, Draco turned over and looked at the other youth, finding him sitting propped against the headboard. The fingers of one hand was carding through the Veela's hair, not stopping even as Draco moved, they just adjusted the angle and continued with the petting, while the other hand held a thick, old looking tome. A slight frown on his handsome face showed that Harry was deep into whatever he was reading, totally oblivious to the scrutiny he was under.

"Good morning. Didn't you sleep?" Draco asked, his voice still husky and deep.

Startled, Harry looked up before breaking into a beautiful, happy smile. "Hi!" he greeted Draco, tugging gently on the lock held between his fingers. "Yeah, I fell asleep, and then I woke up again." Shrugging slightly, he went on. "I realised it would be futile to try to go back to sleep, so I summoned a book and settled down to do some reading instead. Did I wake you?"

"Nope," Draco replied, sitting up in bed, stretching. "In fact, this was the best sleep I've had in a long time. Are you ready to face a new day?" he asked, reluctantly getting out of bed. A quick _Tempus _told him it was getting late, and if they wanted to get down to breakfast in time, they better get a move on.

Harry made a face and closed the book he'd been reading with a snap. "No, but I suppose it would do no good attempting to hide out in here?"

"Nope," Draco said a second time, just as cheerful. "That will only bring Father and Severus in here, not to mention Dumbledore, demanding to know why we aren't in class. I think I'd rather attend than spend the morning explaining why we aren't. Wouldn't you?"

Harry ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, nodding reluctantly. He was not keen on being face to face with the Headmaster at the moment. He still hadn't forgiven the aged wizard for his accusations of the previous day.

Sighing once more, but bowing his head to the inevitable, Harry threw the covers aside and climbed out of bed. He might as well get up. If he had to get ready to face the new day, he might as well do it in a timely fashion, and not wait until he was hopelessly late. The brunet hated to rush around like some headless chicken trying to get ready in the shortest amount of time possible just because he'd accidentally overslept. He wasn't about to put himself in that position due to reluctance to face his fate. Shaking his head at his morbid musings, Harry gathered a change of clothes. Maybe a hot shower would be able to wake him up properly and shake off the disturbing mood he had fallen into.

Draco watched the different moods come and go on his mate's unguarded face. Wanting to help, but not quite sure what to do, the blond walked up to the other boy and gave him a hug. "Don't worry so, love. Everything will be just fine, I promise."

Harry gave Draco a tentative smile, but it was clear he didn't believe him. Disentangling himself gently, Harry headed for the bathroom. If Draco felt the need to comfort him, then he _really_ needed to pull himself together.

HPDM

Stepping out of the now steaming bathroom, dressed in his black leather with a black silk button down, Harry gathered the things he'd need for the day's classes together. Making sure that he had all the homework packed in his bag, he walked out into the living room to wait for Draco.

The blond appeared from his bedroom, dressed in his grey leather with a deep green silk shirt, which brought out the paleness of his skin and the fairness of his hair beautifully, and Harry could only stare at him in wonder. This beautiful being had chosen him?

"Is something wrong?" Draco asked, not sure what the look on Harry's face meant.

"You, Draco Malfoy, are beautiful," Harry said with reverence.

Draco found that he could not look away from the intense gaze, and to his surprise and horror, a fierce blush spread across his face. "Not as beautiful as you," he managed to stammer out, willing his blush to disappear. A Malfoy did not blush. They cause other people to be flustered while they are the picture of calm and aloofness. Draco had a feeling that he looked anything but aloof at the moment.

"Shall we go?" he asked in an attempt to get his wildly fluttering heart under control.

"If we must," Harry sighed, the mood broken. "Do you mind if we make a quick stop at the Owlery first? I want to send off this letter before braving the Great Hall."

"Sure. Is it another letter to Lupin?" Draco asked, walking towards the door, making sure he was the first one stepping through the doorway in case someone nasty was waiting for them on the other side. Draco wouldn't be surprised if the Weasel had been laying in wait for them, in hopes of getting a cheap shot in on Harry, away from prying eyes.

Fortunately, the corridor was empty, not a redhead in sight.

Relaxing muscles he hadn't been aware were tense, Draco looked over at Harry when he realised that the other boy hadn't answered him. "Harry?"

"No, it isn't a letter to Remus," Harry said with some reluctance, feeling certain that Draco wouldn't agree with his reasons for writing Abigail.

"Then who is it? If you don't mind me asking, that is," Draco said belatedly, realising that just because Harry was his mate, he was under no obligation to share every detail of everything he was doing.

"No, I don't mind you knowing. It's just…" Feeling flustered, Harry ran a hand through his hair, making it stand on end. "I'm writing to Abigail. I don't feel right buying those trunks so cheaply. Especially considering the things we've found so far, and we have only examined two trunks. There are over twenty trunks left; who knows what we will find in them?" Harry explained, bracing himself for the derisive comments he was sure the blond would start shouting at any moment now.

But the comments never came. Glancing over at the Veela, Harry was astonished to see a pensive look on the other boy's face. "I'm not sure I agree with your reasoning. She is the one who decided to sell them to you, without bothering to find out what was in them. However, you wouldn't be you if you didn't do this, so I'm not going to try and stop you. I'm not even going to argue with you. It is your money, your decision."

"Thank you, Draco, for understanding," Harry said, and with a happy laugh he launched himself at the Veela and gave him a brief yet fierce hug. "Come on then, breakfast should start soon." Grabbing hold of the blond's arm, Harry proceeded to drag him down the corridor, suddenly feeling much better than he had when he woke up.

HPDM

Looking around the Owlery, Harry felt a pang of worry when he couldn't spot Hedwig anywhere. She should have been back by now, and he could only hope that nothing bad had happened to her.

"Why do you suddenly look like your best friend had died?" Draco asked, causing Harry to shudder.

"Hedwig isn't back yet, and I'm getting a bit worried," Harry admitted, looking more closely at the darker corners, in hopes that his faithful owl was in a snit, and therefore slow to come to him.

Draco frowned; the letter to Lupin had been sent off days ago. "Do you think something's happened to her?"

"I don't know," Harry admitted with a sigh, the realisation that his friend truly wasn't back yet slowly sinking in. "But then again, Remus isn't exactly close by or easy to find."

"Oh?" Draco said, looking like he wanted to ask for more details. Instead he looked around the rafters of the tower as well, spotting his own owl sitting on a beam, watching him with his amber eyes. "If you'd like, you could borrow Aries, I'm sure he'd love to help you out."

"Really? But won't you need him?"

"Nah. Besides, I'm sure Father would let me borrow one of the family owls if I should suddenly need to send a message off urgently," Draco said with a negligent wave of his hand. Giving off a short, sharp whistle, the two boys watched as a large, black eagle owl took off from where he was perched high up under the rafters and landed elegantly on the arm Draco was holding out.

Harry watched as the Malfoy heir greeted his pet, acting very much as he himself did with Hedwig, and the brunet was stunned to realise that under the cold Malfoy mask beat a very warm and loving heart, and he felt tears spring to his eyes. Wiping them away with an angry swipe of his arm, Harry carefully tied the letter to the outstretched leg.

"Thank you, Aries, for agreeing to helping me out," Harry said, holding out his hand for the bird to inspect, not about to pet the beautiful creature without some sort of go-ahead first. The bird stared at Harry with his amber eyes for several long moments, before he suddenly reached out and nibbled on the nearest finger. Smiling happily, Harry reached out and gently stroke the soft feathers on the owl's chest. "The letter is for Abigail Sweetwater, she runs a shop in Diagon Alley."

Aries hooted once, nibbled Draco's ear in farewell, and took off out the window.

The two boys watched him fly off, before turning away and make their way out of the tower. They really needed to get a move on if they were to make it in time for breakfast.

"So, where _is_ Lupin?" Draco asked, more to make conversation than a burning desire to know.

"He is in a werewolf colony in Australia. Apparently, he has several good friends living there. I think they are pretty close, and he has gone to them before, when life got a little too much for him to handle. The colony is heavily warded, and only birds from those given explicit permission are able to find it.

"Remus has taken the death of Sirius pretty bad, and he told me where he was going and why. I hated it that he was leaving. For a long while I felt like he was deserting me. But in my heart I knew that he needed to go. He needs to heal. The wolf inside him is too emotional to be of any use to me or anyone else," Harry said softly, with a heavy sigh. He might understand, but he didn't need to like it. And he didn't. Not one bit. His last father figure had left him. Not out of desire, but out of need; it didn't matter much, because in the end, he had still left. Just like Sirius had. Just as his parents had.

Draco shook his head and wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders. No wonder the boy had problems keeping his temper. Had no one bothered to put Harry first? Did they _all_ buy into the tripe of the Boy Who Lived? Did they think he was indestructible or something? Did they not realise that he too needed support? Both moral and especially emotional? No wonder he thought Draco would leave him at the first signs of trouble. Everyone else certainly had!

Fuming at the unfair treatment of the gentle boy walking beside him, Draco vowed to _never_ leave his mate, come hell or high water.

* * *

**Next Time:**  
Some days you should remain in bed,  
Or,  
Opening your mail can be hazardous to your health.  
Until Then… 


	34. Why Me!

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

Thank you Vaughn for being my Beta. Any mistakes left are my own.

* * *

**34 Why Me!**

Harry felt rather grateful for the arm slung round his shoulders, and he leaned slightly into Draco's side, unconsciously seeking the blond boy's support. He had not been exaggerating when he'd told Draco that he did not want to face everyone this morning.

The situation between him and Ron and Hermione was not good. Knowing the pull the two of them held in Gryffindor, he was rather certain that they had been badmouthing him at every opportunity.

The question was, how many had bought the tripe they'd been sprouting?

Both Dean and Seamus had been members of the DA the previous year. But Seamus had bought the crap the Daily Prophet and printed and had glowered at him darkly when he wasn't avoiding him. The youth had apologised, but Harry wasn't holding his breath, expecting him to stand by him if both Ron and Hermione turned their backs on him.

As for Dean, he had no idea where the boy stood in all this.

Neville had grown to become a very good friend the previous year, and from the few times he'd really talked to the other boy this year, it looked like Neville was on his side.

Ginny… She was an unknown. They had become friends, but she was Ron's sister. Considering Mrs. Weasley's opinion of him, and after yesterday's Howler, would she still side with him? Was she strong enough to go against her family?

Harry didn't know, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to force that choice on the redhead. You shouldn't have to choose between your family and your friends. Besides, considering how close the Weasley family was, Harry feared that he would come out the loser if Ginny was forced to pick sides.

As for the rest of the Gryffindors… he really didn't know them that well. He had never tried to become friends with them. He had been content with Ron and Hermione, and hadn't believed he would ever need anyone else but them. How naïve he had been.

Shaking his head at his own folly, Harry walked over to the edge of the Gryffindor table and sat down. He really didn't want to be here. But he wasn't about to give his house members the impression that he was scared by sitting at the Slytherin table. He had done nothing he needed to feel ashamed of. If they had a problem, it was just that, their problem. Firming his resolve, Harry grabbed a bowl and spooned some porridge into it, adding a drollop of honey.

"Don't worry so much, love. Things will turn out just fine, you'll see," Draco murmured watching his downhearted mate, filling his own plate with a large stack of waffles. He could understand why Harry was nervous, but he was also certain that things would blow over and settle down soon. They always did. No, Draco was more concerned about the teachers who would demand an explanation as to where the two of them had been all day yesterday. What was he to say to that? 'Sorry I missed class, but my mate was having a nervous breakdown'? That would not go down well.

"Morning, Harry, Draco," Ginny said, sitting down opposite the two boys.

"Morning," Neville echoed, sitting down next to the redheaded girl.

Harry looked up in shocked surprise before breaking into a grin. "Morning, you two. I'm guessing things didn't go too catastrophically wrong once Draco and I left?"

"Nah," Ginny said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Ron sprouted off a lot of nonsense about you and the Slytherins. I disagreed and spent the next fifteen minutes chewing him out, while Neville and Hermione tried to restore some order. It was great fun!" Ginny sniggered.

Neville rolled his eyes, not agreeing in the least. "Most of the others left shortly after you did," he told the two boys. "With the Weasleys going after each other's throats it was a bit too loud to do any constructive thinking. I think many of the old members agree with what you said, although they will delay supporting you until they see for themselves what the Slytherins will do. Then there are those dead set against the snakes joining, and they will do everything in their power to make trouble."

"Let me guess, Ron, Smith, and Finch-Fletchley," Harry sighed, rubbing his temples.

Neville didn't bother to reply, he merely nodded his head as he applied himself to his breakfast.

Shaking his head in disgust, Harry ate his porridge while fuming silently.

"Anyway," Ginny said, determined not to let her friends to get depressed. "Neville and I talked things over, and we'd like to volunteer to help you teach the beginners."

"Uh-huh." Neville nodded, glad for the change of subject. "You are going to need help. I remember how pitiful we all were when we started the club up last year. Well, except for you and Hermione of course. We talked a bit, Ginny and I, about the last few Defence teachers we've had, and I shudder to think what the lower years know. The third years had Umbridge last year and the fake Moody the year before that. I'd be very surprised if they know any defence at all. They really are going to need a lot of help to catch up."

"Yes, they will, and Nev and I decided that we are both able to face the challenge. With you telling them what to do and with us correcting their wand movements and pronunciations, they will be DADA experts in no time!" Ginny grinned, giving Harry a wink.

Harry laughed. "I am glad to hear you are that confident in my abilities," he teased. "But what about your mother, Gin? I don't want to cause trouble for you."

"Psh! If she wants to send me a Howler, she's welcome to it. I'll just send her one right back! I happen to like the way you dress, and Ron is a prat who needs a good spanking. He might be ready to throw away years of friendship, I'm not."

"I feel the same way." Neville nodded. "I have finally gotten to know you, and I like what I found. You can count on my support, no matter what Ron says and does. You are not Dark, and you are not going Evil. Ron is one of the lucky ones, life hasn't touched him yet. One day it will, but until then he will always continue to be a prat, and a jealous prat at that."

Harry tilted his head slightly to the side, considering the shy Gryffindor's words. "You're right. I still hope tragedy doesn't touch him for years. Hopefully, he will mature on his own. I'm not holding my breath though, not anymore. Or maybe Hermione will be able to drill some sense into him. But I'm beginning to doubt that as well. She's changed, and not for the better."

"Tell me about it!" Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "All she cares about is books and what Dumbledore says. The man has become her god or something. And the way he takes advantage of that is... Frankly, it's disgusting, using a student to spy on another. Really!" She rolled her eyes once more.

Harry merely shrugged. "I figured as much. I guess the reality of war was a nasty shock to her system, but enough about them. Nev, Gin, I want you to put together a duel for tonight. To show the new members a few of the things we learned last year. Make it fun as well, if you can."

Ginny and Neville looked at each other, a light coming to their eyes. This could be fun!

HPDM

Albus Dumbledore watched as Harry and Draco walked into the Great Hall and sat down at the Gryffindor table for some breakfast. Once he had calmed down, he had realised just how badly he had handled the situation with Miss Parkinson. He should have pulled Harry to the side and asked him what happened. He shouldn't have allowed his fears, and his irritation, to rule him. Yesterday's lapse of control had cost him dearly, and he now needed to find a way to get back in Harry's good grace, and quickly.

"I'm relieved to see that Harry looks so fine this morning," he said, turning his attention to Lucius Malfoy. "I was a bit worried when neither of the boys turned up for their classes. Care to tell me what happened to them?"

Lucius slowly chewed his mouthful of food while considering just what to tell the Headmaster. He and Severus had made a few loose plans, but both had been fairly sure that Dumbledore would corner his professor rather than tackle Lord Malfoy.

"Understandably, Harry was rather upset when he left the Great Hall yesterday morning. That scene with young Weasley did not help improve his mood. Seeing how upset he was, I decided it would be pointless in ordering the boys to attend their classes, and gave them the day off to recover from their ordeal. After all, it isn't everyday you are accused of using the Dark Arts, and before Ministry officials, no less. I must say I'm surprised our esteemed Minister of Magic hasn't shown up in person to demand an explanation for the latest accusations against Harry," Lucius said, unable to resist the temptation to get a dig in at the Headmaster.

Dumbledore winced minutely. Yes, he had really messed up yesterday. Harry might forgive him, but Lucius would hold this incident over his head for months, if not years to come. He coughed and took a sip of tea to stall for a few minutes.

"Cornelius did in fact contact me, but I was able to assure him that everyone was fine and that no Dark magic had been used. He insisted on questioning Harry himself, but considering the bad blood between the two of them, I managed to talk him out of it," Albus said, hoping that the fact that he had kept Fudge away from Harry would get him on Lucius' good side. At least a little.

Lucius didn't comment, he merely reached for his tea, taking a sip.

"However, there is still the question of Harry's punishment. He did attack Miss Parkinson, after all. He might have been provoked, but I feel the retaliation was a bit extreme."

"I believe that Severus has already dealt with that, deducting a large sum of points and assigning detentions," Lucius replied calmly, feeling that the Headmaster would not be satisfied with that answer.

He was right.

Dumbledore nodded in approval. "I still feel that he needs to be reprimanded for the insolence he showed yesterday morning, not to mention skipping his classes yesterday. You, Lucius, are not a professor, and therefore you do not have the right to give them leave to take the day off like that. Next time, take the boys to Poppy and get her to approve their absence."

Lucius opened his mouth to retort to that nonsense, but he wasn't given the chance since Dumbledore continued to speak.

"I realise you only had the boys best interest at heart, but the rules are the rules and I cannot go around bending them. Not even for Harry Potter," Albus said, cheerfully ignoring all the times he had done just that. "I believe a detention with their Head of House is in order, don't you?" Albus asked, looking over at Lucius, his eyes twinkling.

Finally, he would get a chance to corner Harry for a little chat, one on one. With Draco occupied with Severus, Harry would be alone without an annoying Malfoy to act as a buffer. Since it was a detention, Lucius would have no reason to accompany the boy, giving Albus the opportunity he needed.

Lucius frowned, but kept his peace. He was sure that he and Severus would be able to work something out to prevent the Headmaster's latest plot. He wasn't stupid; he knew fully well what the old man was attempting to do. Satisfied with that plan, he returned to his breakfast, absentmindedly checking up on the boys.

HPDM

"Here's the mail. Looks pretty red today too. I wonder what the Prophet's written about your little speech yesterday," Draco said with a drawl. He had remained silent and focused on eating his breakfast. The DA was Harry's baby and he was not going to interfere with that. He would save his comments and make them in private.

Harry looked up and noted that Draco had been correct. A swarm of owls were coming his way, most carrying a red, trembling letter in their beaks. Sighing he made room for them, making sure that the non-howlers were put in a pile on the side.

When no more owls were coming his way, Harry put the stack of Howlers on fire, banishing the ash. "What? I don't want to hear what they have to say. Why should I subject myself to that rubbish?" he asked, seeing the surprised looks Ginny and Neville sent him. "I don't know these people so their opinion doesn't matter to me. Why ruin a perfectly good day by listening to strangers shouting nonsense at me? What does the _Prophet_ say?" he asked, turning to Draco, who was reading the front page, a look of unholy glee on his face.

Without a word the blond turned the paper over, allowing Harry to see the front page.

Apparently the editor of the Daily Prophet had been unable to decide which story deserved the front page the most, so he had split it in two. On one side, the Headline _Boy-Who-Lived Declares His Independence!_ met Harry's eyes, and on the other side the words _Junior Assistant Helped Orchestrate Attack On The Boy-Who-Lived!_ were plastered for everyone to see.

Harry felt his eyebrows climb upwards and he began eagerly reading the second story, Draco draped over his shoulder so he could read the article as well.

_Junior Assistant Helped Orchestrate Attack On The Boy-Who-Lived!_

_By Rita Skeeter_

_After weeks of investigation, _

Here both Harry and Draco snickered, doubting that statement very much.

_this reporter finally found indisputable proof yesterday that the Dementors' attack, which occurred two summers ago against our own Harry Potter, was in fact orchestrated by the Ministry of Magic itself. _

_Dolores Umbridge, the High Inquisitor of Hogwarts, was heard confessing to several students that she was the one behind the attack, and that it was she who had sent the Dementors to the summer residence of the Boy-Who-Lived in hopes that they would give the boy the Kiss._

_I was astonished when I first heard of these accusations, and found it difficult to believe that the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, would sanction such an action. The fact that no legal charges have been brought against Miss Umbridge made this reporter believe that the accusations were just that, baseless accusations from disgruntled students._

_However, being the dedicated reporter that I am,_

Here both Harry and Draco snorted, knowing fully well just what type of reporter Rita Skeeter was.

_I decided to investigate anyway. Since Dolores Umbridge was the Senior Undersecretary before she became_ _High Inquisitor, it would only stand to reason that she had access to the files containing such confident material as Harry Potter's address. However, I could find no proof that she had ever accessed those files._

_However, someone else close to the Minister had. Moreover, he had no business asking for that file, unless someone with higher authority told him to. This reporter would very much like to know why the Junior Assistant of the Minister of Magic, one Percival Weasley, asked for and perused the file of Harry Potter, especially since there is a lot of bad blood between the two, unlike the rest of the Weasley children, who have all proclaimed to be close friends of the Boy-Who-Lived._

_Does this prove that the Dementors' attack that almost resulted in Harry Potter being Kissed, not to mention almost expelled from Hogwarts due to him using magic during the summertime, really was orchestrated by Dolores Umbridge? Or was she ordered to arrange the attack by her superior? Is that why no legal action has been taken against her? _

_This reporter, for one, would like to know the answer to these questions. So far, the Minister has not been available to make any comments._

Harry felt a warm glow in his chest, and he was hard-pressed to hold back the beaming smile that was threatening to break out. No one had ever stood up for him like this before. Some had raged, others had offered their pity or condolences, but they had never done anything to get back at the people stabbing him in the back. This was the work of Lucius Malfoy, he just knew it was.

Fighting down the urge to rush over to him and thank him, Harry turned to the second article and began to read.

_Boy-Who-Lived Declares His Independence!_

_by Rita Skeeter_

_Yesterday morning Harry Potter declared in front of everyone in the Great Hall while they were eating their breakfast that he intended to live his life as he saw fit and if anyone objected, tough. Apparently he had just received a Howler from the mother of one of his friends, complaining about his new clothes and the fact that he has been picked as a mate by Draco Malfoy, who is part Veela._

_One of his classmates, who wishes to be anonymous, told me: 'It was awful. She was shouting at him for wanting to dress in leather. Normally I wouldn't be seen with anyone dressed in that, but Harry has designed an outfit that is very tasteful, and I wouldn't mind having a few myself. She also went on how horrible he was for consorting with Draco Malfoy and his father, and that Harry wasn't welcome in her house again unless he repented for his actions. She even mentioned how displeased his parents would have been. That was really going too far. Harry hasn't done anything wrong, and people should just leave him alone!'_

_It would seem our little hero is growing up and is beginning to shed the shackles holding him down. Once he has come into his full powers, this reporter is certain that You-Know-Who will have reasons to fear this young man even more. Maybe it is time we started calling young Harry Potter the Man-Who-Lived?_

Harry snorted. "At least she isn't calling me deranged, or a troublemaker. Not even a Death Eater in training, what _is_ the world coming to?" he asked, the warm glow in his chest growing even bigger. With these two articles, both Mrs. Weasley and her son had gotten a taste of their own medicine, and it couldn't have happened to nicer people

Ginny and Neville shared a look and burst into laughter. Draco and Harry soon followed.

Up at the Head table, Lucius hid a grin. His little chat with Skeeter had gone better than he'd expected. Too bad he couldn't mention the cow by name, but he was sure the identity of the sender of the Howler would soon leak out and then Molly Weasley, look out!

Turning his attention to the second article, Lucius re-read it with well hidden glee. He had known Mercury would do a good job, but this even exceeded his expectations. How in the world had they found out that quickly that Percy Weasley were "was" indirectly involved in the Dementors' attack? If he had known Merc would be this swift with his retaliations, Lucius wouldn't have bothered with his article. Then again, Molly Weasley deserved every bit of the misery this would give her. Either way, it looked like he needed to pay his cousin a visit, and soon.

Unaware of the blond aristocrat's thoughts, Harry turned to the second pile of letters next to his plate. Picking one up, he turned it over in curiosity. Whoever would be writing to him? Hit with a sudden thought, he scowled. It better not be people gushing over him like his schoolmates had done since his return to school. It was bad enough when those he knew acted weird around him, he wasn't sure he could handle it if total strangers acted like that.

Harry hesitated briefly, but then he made up his mind. Better to find out now, then he could ignore the letters with a clear conscience. Pleased with his reasoning, Harry broke the seal and pulled out the letter, not noticing the included photo until it landed in his plate. Looking down he turned an interesting shade of red. The woman in the picture was wearing a big smile and nothing else.

Seeing his mate's reaction, Draco turned to look and shot to his feet with an angry cry, setting fire to the thing. "Who is that tramp?" he screeched, gaining the attention of everyone in the Hall, including his father, who hastily made his way to his son's side.

Blaise had looked over to the Gryffindor table when he'd heard Draco's cry. He had read the two articles with relish, and he had been looking forward to the first opportunity when he could corner his friend and find out what was going on. It was not like the blond to miss classes. Unless he had a very good reason.

Add to that today's attack on the Weasleys, and Blaise just knew there was a good story, and he wanted every detail of it. Seeing Draco's violent reaction to whatever had been in the letter Potter had just opened, Blaise realised that Gryffindorks or not, this he wanted to see!

Climbing to his feet, he murmured to his fellow snakes, "This looks like fun. I haven't seen Dray lose his cool like this since Vince and Greg accidentally turned his skin red in third year." Their sniggers followed him as he sauntered over to where the Malfoys were standing.

"I have no idea," Harry murmured, turning his attention to the letter he was still holding.

Not satisfied with that answer, Draco pulled it out of his hands and began to scan it quickly. "A marriage proposal? Who does she think she is? You are..."

"That is enough, Draco!" Lucius said sternly, stemming the words about to spill from his son's lips. Things had finally settled down again between the two boys, and the aristocrat was not about to allow a fit of jealousy cause a setback. Even if his son did have a right to throw a hissy fit. In fact, Lucius was seething as well at the audacity of the woman. Who did she think she was?

However, their feelings did not matter at the moment. Harry's did. Lucius had a hunch the youth would not take this well. Furthermore, he would not accept even the smallest hint of accusation, and he did not want a repeat of what had happened the previous day to occur, especially not in the middle of the Great Hall! If nothing else, he did not have the patience to console a moping Veela. Not with everything else going on at the moment.

"But Father! Look at this!" Draco complained, thrusting the letter at his father.

With a put upon sigh, Lucius accepted the letter and quickly scanned it. Suppressing a shudder, he folded it and placed it back in its envelope. "A bit on the tacky side, I agree, but I'm afraid this was only to be expected, especially after the article in yesterday's _Daily Prophet_. Your mate has grown up to become a fine young man, and others are bound to notice," Lucius said in an even voice, attempting to will his son to calm down and start thinking instead of just reacting.

"But she offered to carry his children! As if a Sweetberry would _ever_ be worthy of such a thing!" Draco sneered, every bit a Malfoy in his disdain.

"Calm down, Draco. As if I would ask some woman I've never met to do such a thing," Harry snorted, picking up another letter, eyeing it a bit warily. They couldn't all be propositions, could they?

"Calm down! Calm down? How would _you_ feel if some bitch..."

Harry never heard the rest of what Draco was saying as he felt the all too familiar feeling of a hook behind his navel as the seal on the envelope was broken. One moment he was sitting calmly at the Gryffindor table, and the next he was sitting on the floor of what must be _the_ most garish room he'd ever seen. It was even worse than his new room before Severus changed it, no matter how impossible that seemed.

Gingerly he got to his feet, pulling his wand and clasping it tightly just to be on the safe side. This didn't look like anything the Dark Lord would put up with, but you could never be to sure. The man was insane, after all.

Walking towards the nearest door, Harry tested the doorknob, jumping back in shock as the door was flung open, narrowly missing being hit in the face.

"You came! My sweet prince, I _knew_ would come to my rescue!"

Harry gaped in shock at the female, at least he _thought_ it was female, who was quickly advancing on him. She (if indeed this _was_ a she) had a head full of shocking white hair that flew every which way. Her face was filled with wrinkles, suggesting she was two hundred years old, but with surprisingly sharp blue eyes. "Um, hello. Might I ask you who are? And where I am, for that matter?" he belatedly asked, trying desperately to get a handle of what on earth was going on.

"But of course, my sweet prince. I am Josandra Tiller - but you, sweetie, can call me Josy - and this is my home."

"Ah. It is a pleasure to meet you, um, Josy. It would have been nice getting some warning though," Harry said, thinking furiously, trying to find a way out of the mess he'd landed in.

"Yes, well, I'm sorry about that. But I just _had_ to see you and I figured this way we would have at least half an hour before you are rescued. You see, this is about my nephew. Oh, but where are my manners? Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, please," Harry murmured, having no intention to accept anything this obviously loony elderly lady offered him, but anything that kept her occupied was good in his book.

"Tilly! Some tea for our guest. And cake! All young men likes cake, don't you, sweetie?" Josy asked, turning her attention back on Harry from the house-elf who'd popped in, out, and back in again, carrying a laden tea tray the second time she appeared.

"Um, I guess so. Perhaps not this early in the morning though," Harry mumbled, wishing with all his might that the Malfoys were present. He could use their help right about now. Remembering the necklace Lucius had given him, he clasped it in a sweaty hand, murmuring the blond's name as quietly as he could.

"Nonsense, it is never too early, or too late, for that matter, for some cake. Especially if it is chocolate filled raspberry cake," Josy stated, pouring Harry a cup of tea and cutting him a large piece of the mentioned cake.

Harry forced a smile on his face and accepted the cup and the plate, never letting go of the necklace. "So, Miss Josy, um, Tiller, you said this, eh, meeting was about your nephew?" he asked, trying to get a conversation started, hoping Lucius knew who this madwoman was so he could come and rescue him.

"Yes, yes. A sweet boy, but so shy. I despair, I tell you, for him to ever venture into something. When I read that article in the _Daily Prophet_, I just _knew_ you were the one to help him along."

"The article in the _Daily Prophet_? Which one?" Harry asked, trying desperately to figure out what in Merlin's name was going on here.

"Why the article about how you had designed your own clothes of course!" Josy beamed at him.

"The article about my clothes?" Harry echoed, nonplussed. "I'm going to _kill_ Draco for that one!" Harry muttered under his breath. Louder he added, "I still don't understand, Josy."

"My nephew designs his own clothes as well, and mine. He is the one who designed this dress. Isn't it divine?" Josy asked, hopping up from her chair and twirled around to give Harry a better view, causing him to reconsider her age. No one who was two hundred years old moved that nimbly.

"I don't know much about dresses, I'm afraid, but yes, that one is very pretty. I still don't understand though."

"I want you to share with Ambrose, that is my nephew by the way, how you managed to get that shop owner to accept your design. Poor Ambrose has been struggling for _years_ to get someone besides me to acknowledge his skills. I know most designers don't want _anything_ to do with other designers, but I figured a nice boy like you would be able to look beyond the competition and give my sweet Ambrose some help. It would mean so much to him, and to me as well," Josy added, giving Harry another dazzling smile.

Harry leaned back in his chair and concentrated on his breathing. This situation was just too bizarre. He had been kidnapped just so he could give tips on how to sell designs for new clothes?

"Harry?"

Harry blinked at the twin calls of his name. Belatedly he remembered that he was still holding his necklace. "Yes?" he answered Josy and Lucius both.

"Are you feeling alright, dear?" Josy asked. "Have some cake, I am sure it will make you feel better."

"We have arrived at the cottage where Mrs. Tiller is supposed to be residing. Hold on a few more minutes and this will all be over," Lucius said, causing Harry to collapse in his seat with relief.

"Dear?" Josy asked worriedly. "Tilly! Something is wrong with our guest! Get a Healer here immediately!"

"No! There is no need for that!" Harry quickly declared, not wanting any more strangers around, in case the Malfoys had trouble getting through the wards.

"Nonsense! I can't have you getting sick now, can I? How will you then be able to help Ambrose?"

"Everybody freeze!" Lucius Malfoy cried out, bursting through the doors causing both Harry and Josy to jump.

Harry reached up a hand and rubbed at his temple, letting go of the pendant as he did so. That shout had felt like a spear through his mind, and he now had a fierce headache on top of everything else.

"Harry! Merlin, are you alright?" a frantic Draco cried, shouldering past his father and hurrying to Harry's side.

"What in the name of Circe is going on here?" Josy cried in alarm. "Who are you people? Get out this instance!"

"Hello. Which of you lot is the patient?" an elderly man carrying a bag asked, looking around the room. He knew his good friend was a bit eccentric, but this was unusual even for Josy.

Harry looked at the scene before him, unable to believe his eyes. A practically hysterical Draco was sitting in Harry's lap, running his hands everywhere he could reach in search for injuries. Lucius was holding Josy at wand point, his gaze darting between his prisoner and Harry. Severus, along with Tonks, Shacklebolt, and Moody were spread out in the room, looking for hidden enemies while the Healer was casting examinations spells at everyone, trying to figure out where the emergency was. This was just too surreal, and Harry felt himself begin to snigger. The stress was getting to him, and once he'd started laughing he couldn't stop.

The Healer, happy to finally have a patient, bounded over to Harry and forced a calming potion down his throat, to the immense displeasure of Draco. As the room began to fade, Harry watched as the Veela hexed the man, snarling threats and promises of retribution.

HPDM

Draco sat on the bed, his mate in his arms, watching him sleep peacefully. When Harry had disappeared from the Great Hall he had panicked. Never in his life had he felt such pain as he did then at the thought of never seeing Harry again. Only Lucius' grab of his arm had prevented him from blindly rushing from the Hall and seeking out Riddle, convinced this was a plot to capture the Boy-Who-Lived.

It didn't prevent him from going into a rage though, and he had transformed into his second form, his wings sprouting from his back, showering those nearby with blood. Things were getting ugly, and only the fact that Harry had called Lucius just then had stopped him from ripping the heads of his father and godfather, who had joined the fray by then. The knowledge that Harry was alive and all right had enabled him to start thinking again, and he had allowed Lucius and Severus to bundle him off to the Headmaster's office, where a rescue mission had been planned.

His heart did not calm though, until he saw his mate with his own eyes. Finding Harry alive and whole...

Draco shuddered and pulled Harry closer. It was pure luck that it was a barmy old woman who had kidnapped his mate. It could just as easily have been a Death Eater, or worse, someone who had the audacity to think that Harry would marry them.

Harry was _his_. No one else's. His!

Brooding darkly, Draco was returned to the present when the body in his arms groaned, and twitched.

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"Harry, are you alright?"

"I don't know. Is it too much to hope that being kidnapped by a deranged aunt who wanted me to help her nephew sell clothing designs was just a very weird dream?"

"I'm afraid so," Draco chuckled. "Seriously, how do you feel?"

Harry sighed and attempted to sit up proper. "Fine, I guess. What happened?"

"You got a bit hysterical and that fool of a Healer forced a strong Calming Draught down your throat. You had a bad reaction to it and threw up all over him, serves him right, the git! Severus checked you over and figured you'd be alright after some sleep. We are back at Hogwarts, in the hospital wing. Pomfrey looked you over as well, and since she agreed with Severus, we've let you sleep it off."

"Oh, what time is it?"

"It is shortly after three o'clock. Welcome back to the land of the living. How do you feel?" Lucius asked, his eyes lighting up at the sight of his son and mate both wide awake and apparently feeling fine.

"I'm fine. Thank you for rescuing me. What will happen to Josy? You didn't send her to Azkaban, did you?" Harry asked a bit worriedly. This was Malfoy after all, a very protective Malfoy.

"You are very welcome and no, not yet. We figured you would get a say in the punishment, since you were the one being kidnapped. However, that can wait until later. For now you are to eat something and get some more rest."

"Yes sir," Harry said with a small smile. To tell the truth, he still felt tired and he was way too comfortable to want to get up. Pushing his worries to the side for now, he settled back against Draco and closed his eyes with a content sigh, never seeing the soft smiles coming to Draco's and Lucius' faces at the sight.

"Dad? There's something I've been meaning to ask you," Draco said a little hesitantly, looking down to make sure that Harry was indeed asleep.

"What is it, son?" Lucius asked, stepping forward to perch on the edge of the mattress.

"That day, when Harry ended up in the trunk," Draco began quietly, wording what he wanted to say carefully. "It felt like he was dying. That awareness I have of him at the back of my mind, it was growing cold, it was … fading. How come?"

Lucius was silent for a few moments, gathering his thoughts. "I believe that he was so focused on the decision he was trying to make, that he accidentally performed a sort of _Occlumency_. The connection you share, what you are feeling, is an echo of Harry's emotions. Normally something like that isn't established until after you bond, but with exceptionally strong mates, it is not unheard of it happening beforehand.

"I think, that when he was trying to decide what to do, he was focusing all his energies on that decision, shutting everything else off, including his emotions. If you remember, he did not react to our arrival, and when he finally became aware again, he instantly fainted from the strain. The connection returned shortly thereafter, did it not?"

Draco thought back on that horrifying moment, trying to pinpoint when his awareness of Harry had returned. It was when Harry had been placed in his bed, and Draco had crawled in with him, finally reassured that his mate was fine and was going to live. "Yeah, it did," he said, looking up at his father with a faint smile.

"Good. I suggest you keep a close eye on him for the next few days. Severus and I will screen his mail from now on, to ensure that this doesn't happen again, but who knows what ideas this has given your schoolmates."

Draco growled and pulled Harry closer to him. He knew the mindset of some of the students only too well, having been forced to listen to them brag of what they would do the moment they had graduated and finally were old enough to be allowed into the Dark Lord's army. They would only be too happy to attempt sending Harry to that monster.

Lucius smiled in understanding. "I'm going to head down to the dungeons. Severus and I will be discussing added protection. Sev suggested adding his own monitoring spell on the two of you. I am inclined to agree with him."

"Dad," Draco moaned, but did not argue. If Harry was ever kidnapped again, he wanted to be able to find his mate in a heartbeat. It was worth sacrificing their privacy for that, wasn't it? He had a feeling, though, that Harry wouldn't agree.

"See you later, my little Dragon," Lucius chuckled, and left the private room the boys had been given.

HPDM

Lucius never got to have that discussion with Severus, however. He had just set foot inside his mate's office when his Dark Mark began to burn. Hissing a curse, he clamped his right hand over his left arm, darting a look at Severus, who had scrambled to his feet, not showing any signs of being summoned.

"Come, you can borrow my robe and mask," Severus said, guiding his friend into his private chamber. "It will save you time, and believe me, that is always a bonus," he said with feeling, charming the robe to fit the slightly taller man.

Lucius didn't argue, only slipped the hated robe on, putting the mask into a pocket.

"Take this, it will bring you directly to the hospital wing," Severus murmured, pressing a bracelet into Lucius' hand. "To activate it, say 'sanctuary'."

"Thank you. I promise to be careful," Lucius promised, giving into temptation and pulling his mate into a brief hug.

"You better promise to come back alive," Severus whispered, returning the hug fiercely, if briefly.

"I promise," Lucius whispered, pulling away reluctantly. Putting his Malfoy mask firmly in place, he left swiftly while he still could.

HPDM

"Ah, Lucius, so good of you to come," Voldemort hissed sarcastically when his right hand man entered the library at Riddle Manor, kneeling before him in greeting.

"Master," Lucius intoned, kissing the hem of black robe, careful to keep his feelings locked away where the monster could not pick up on them, he sincerely hoped!

"I have been hearing the most extraordinary things about young Harry Potter. I was hoping you could verify them for me?"

"I live to serve you, My Lord," Lucius said, wondering just what exactly the children at Hogwarts had been reporting to their parents.

"See that you do, Lucius, see that you do," Voldemort threatened, pointing his wand at the blond. "Rise!" he snapped impatiently. "Tell me, did Potter really curse Pansy Parkinson?"

"Yes, Master, he did."

"Excellent. Well, don't just stand there. Sit! Tell me! And Lucius, don't skip any details," Voldemort warned, rolling his wand between his fingers in a threatening manner that made most of his followers extremely nervous. Malfoy, he noted with a smug smile, didn't so much as flinch. He liked that in the man, even though it made him very dangerous. If Lucius ever decided to break away… Tom quickly shut off that thought, it did not merit any further thought. Besides, as long as he kept the man on a short leash, everything would be fine. And as long as he had Severus on an equally short leash, he had nothing to fear from either man. Settling into his chair, conjuring a glass of wine, Riddle prepared himself to listen to what exactly Harry Potter had been up to.

Lucius, not aware of his Master's thoughts, launched into a description of what had taken place since Draco had discovered who his mate was, keeping as many details as he dared away from the Dark Lord. "It would seem, My Lord, that the old fool has alienated Harry Potter to such a degree that he no longer has the boy's trust," he carefully began.

"Oh?" Voldemort asked in delight. This was getting better and better! "Tell me! Does that mean that the boy is open to a change of alliances?"

"I think so, Master, he is most displeased with the Headmaster's actions," Lucius reassured him and launched into his story.

Voldemort stroked his chin, chuckling at the revenge the boy had taken on the foolish girl. Maybe that was something he himself could adopt? Casting the _Cruciatus_ _Curse_ on the ones who failed him was amusing, but after a while it grew tiresome. On top of that, it did not stop the fools from continuing to fail him… Perhaps spending some time as a toy would be a stronger deterrent.

"You and your son have done very well, Lucius. Harry Potter will soon be ours. Very well done indeed. However, there was another reason I sent for you."

"My Lord?" Lucius asked, wondering about the odd tone in Voldemort's voice.

"Narcissa has complained to me that you have been neglecting her. I do not approve of being involved in your domestic life, Lucius. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Lucius groaned silently, cursing Narcissa silently. "My Lord, my wife expressed her wish to go to one of the Ministry parties. I informed her that I would not have the time, but that she was free to go with someone else."

"And why did you not wish to make your wife happy?" Voldemort asked with deceptive gentleness. Was the bond between the two Malfoys weakening? He could not allow that.

"My Lord, I felt it more important to help my son bond with his mate than to escort my lovely wife to a party," Lucius said honestly, managing with some difficulty to keep his tone bland and neutral. He couldn't afford to betray his intense dislike for his wife, not now when he was so close to getting free.

"I see. You reasoned correctly, Lucius, at the moment Harry Potter is more important than some party, even if it is one organized by the Ministry."

Lucius heaved a silent sigh that he had once again escaped the Cruciatus Curse. Debating silently with himself, he decided to take a risk. "Master, I found out by chance from Harry that the inventor of the potion Black Truth was in fact one Horatio Black. I find myself in somewhat of a quandary, since I am oath bound to demand retribution from the descendants due to the unfortunate happenings in 1022…"

Voldemort tapped his wand against his cheek. That was indeed a bit bothersome. Narcissa Black was Lucius' wife, and Bellatrix Black was one of his most devoted followers. "What did you have in mind?" he asked eventually, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"I was considering sending Narcissa to one of the more remote properties, forcing her to spend some time there alone since I figured it would pain her the most to miss the parties that are coming up in the next few months."

Tom considered the suggestion. It was quite devious. Narcissa would not be pleased about missing out on the festivities. It would also give Lucius the time needed to cement the bond between Potter and Draco, making sure that the boy was loyal to him and not Dumbledore. And it would ensure that she couldn't come snivelling to him for every perceived slight. Yes, he liked it very much. "What about Bellatrix? And what of her other sister, Andromeda?"

"Andromeda has been struck from the family tree and is no longer a Black, My Lord. As for Bellatrix, I will leave that up to you, Master. Far be it for me to decide suitable punishment for one of your devoted followers," Lucius said, being as obsequious as he could stomach.

Voldemort nodded his head in pleasure. That was one of the things he liked about Lucius Malfoy, the man knew his place. Unlike some… he thought darkly. "I think that a suitable punishment would be for Bellatrix to follow her sister to this remote place of yours. I have noticed that she's been a little peeked lately, I am sure the rest would do her good. And since we both know how much she loves her sister…" Voldemort said suggestively before breaking out in gleeful laughter.

Lucius hid a wince; the estate he had in mind would never be the same again. He would have to order the house-elves to clear it of anything valuable before sending the women over. Then he was forced to bite back a chuckle of his own. So, Bellatrix had managed to anger her Master, again. Served her right, the bitch, for trying to get into Severus' knickers. She knew very well that the Potions Master had no interest in her, and yet she kept trying.

Feeling his tempter start to boil, Lucius forced himself to push such thoughts to the side. Patiently he waited for the Dark Lord to stop laughing.

"Very well, make the preparations. Send me a Portkey for darling Bella once you are ready. I believe the stay should last until Christmas, don't you? That should give them plenty of time to think over their actions. And Lucius, I would be most displeased if they were to return sooner…

"Oh, and Lucius? Make sure Harry Potter teaches Severus how to make that potion. I can think of quite a few amusing instances where the Black Truth could be useful. You are dismissed."

Lucius bowed and backed out of the library. With a soft sigh of relief, he straightened and made his way back to the Manor. He knew Severus would be worried about him, but he needed to get the ball rolling. He couldn't believe that Riddle had actually agreed with him! Narcissa must really have annoyed him with her whining.

Then he shuddered. They needed to find a way to make sure that Voldemort never got his hands on the Black Truth. The havoc he could wreak…

* * *

**Next Time:**  
Someone is having a bad day,  
and for once it isn't Harry and Draco.  
Until Then… 


	35. Someone is having a bad day

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I really and truly appreciate all the positive feedback. Thank you!

Thank you Vaughn for being my Beta. Any mistakes left are my own.

* * *

**Someone is having a bad day.**

Arthur Weasley looked up from his cup of tea when the owl carrying his copy of the _Daily_ _Prophet_ came flying through the window. Relieving the bird of its burden, and dropping the required Knuts into the little pouch tied to a bony leg, the Weasley patriarch lost all interest in the owl as he unfolded the paper and opened it. Picking up his cup, he promptly choked on it as his glance took in the headlines.

"Arthur, dear, are you alright?" Molly asked her husband, walking over to his chair from the stove and beginning to pound on his back.

"I'm fine, dear," Arthur gasped, attempting to shift away from his wife's enthusiastic pounding.

Molly didn't hear him. Her eyes were glued to the front page of the _Daily Prophet_, and she gasped in outrage. Snatching the paper from her husband, she began to read the article, muttering parts of it aloud.

"How dare he?" she cried, brandishing the paper in her outrage. "How _dare_ he! How dare Harry put the blame for what happened that summer on Percy? Yes, yes," she added irritably when her husband tried to get a word in, "Percy has sided with the Ministry, and he has said a few not so flattering things about Harry, but that doesn't give Harry the right to badmouth my boy! Percy would _never_ do anything to harm his family, and until recently Harry Potter was family. I can't believe how badly that boy turned out, but what did you expect? With Sirius Black as his godfather? Remus is a dear, but he isn't exactly a good role model for a child to have either, and poor Harry attached himself to the two of them. He should have taken Percy as his role model instead. I should have known though, when I found out he had helped the twins with that appalling shop of theirs."

"Now, Molly, you know very well that Harry hasn't turned dark. As for Percy, he is not the model of good behaviour that you tend to paint him. He is a stuck up prick, refusing to see the evidence staring him in the face. He is blinded by ambition; it was only a matter of time before that ambition placed him in hot water," Arthur said, tired of the way his wife refused to see what Percy was really like.

"How dare you! Percy is our son!"

"Is that why you have been painting Harry Potter blacker than black? In an attempt to muddle the waters so no one in the Order would realise what type of person Percival really is? You used to adore Harry, Molly, what happened?"

"What happened? What happened? He got a student killed, Arthur! He got poor Cedric killed by You Know Who! Was I just to stand back and wait for him to get our children killed too? Just look at the mess he caused at the Department of Mysteries! He was lured into a trap, and he took. My. Children. With. Him!" Molly shrieked, getting red in the face with her fury.

Arthur shook his head sadly. "When are you going to realise that the children are growing up? When will you acknowledge that they no longer are babies, but adults with a mind of their own? Harry didn't force them to come with him to the Ministry, they _chose_ to follow him. If you go on treating them the way you are, Percy isn't the only of our children that will turn their backs on you."

"How. Dare. You!" Molly whispered, too shocked to get her vocal cords to work properly.

"How dare I?" Arthur asked mockingly. "How dare _you_! For years you have placed Percy on some sort of pedestal, holding him up to the other children as a paragon of model behaviour. Just because he wasn't playing pranks on people, and because he was getting good grades, you turned a blind eye to his less pleasant qualities. Open your eyes, Molly, before it is too late. The other children never could stand their brother; did you ever consider that maybe they had a reason? Merlin knows I've done my best to treat all of my children equally, can you say the same?

"As for Harry. You agreed to take him in and treat him as one of your own. You went back on that promise, and I can't tell you how ashamed of you I am for that. I know, I should have put my foot down a long time ago, but I was weak. I wanted to keep the peace within the family, and look at us now. Bill and Charlie moved halfway across the world to get away from us. Percy is refusing to even talk to us, and I'm guessing it won't be long before the twins move away as well, considering how well they are doing with their business. You should be proud of them, and yet you belittle them at every turn. They have made something of themselves, and for some reason you refuse to see that. I can't help but wonder why. Are you jealous of them?

"I can only hope that Ron and Ginny learn to think for themselves soon, before you have poisoned their minds as well. Harry Potter is a good boy, and he has done nothing which deserves the spite you have been spewing over him lately. He is not the root of your problems. The sooner you realise this, the better."

"I think you should leave now," Molly said frostily. "You have said more than enough."

"You know, I don't think I have," Arthur mused, getting up from the table. "However, since I can't afford to be late, I will indeed leave. See you later, dear," he added, Apparating away and leaving his wife fuming.

"How dare he!" she snarled, throwing the paper into the fire. "How. Dare. He?" she shouted at the air, almost missing the head that had appeared in the fireplace.

"Molly, are you there?"

"Oh, hello, Hestia, what can I do for you?" Molly asked, forcing herself to calm down with some difficulty.

"I was just reading the paper, you have seen it, haven't you? I just couldn't believe it. Please tell me that Percy would never do such a thing!"

"Of course he wouldn't!" Molly snapped, her temper starting to boil once more. "I'm sorry, I just had a row with Arthur over just that subject. Percy is a good boy; he would never cause any trouble for anyone, unless they deserved it," she added, conveniently forgetting all the times he had snubbed her and given her the cold shoulder since he had started working at the Ministry.

"That is what I thought. It is appalling the way that woman Skeeter is allowed to write articles like that, not caring in the least who she is hurting in her attempts to sell papers. Well, I better get going, I just wanted to make sure for myself that the article was false," Hestia Jones said, ending the fire call.

Her call was only the first of many though, and by noon, Molly was forced to put the fire out if she was to get any work done at all that day. Relatives, friends, people she hadn't talked with in years, they all called her and wanted her input on whether Percy was guilty of aiding in the Dementors' attack or not. To her dismay, Molly was powerless in stopping the sympathy that was creeping up for Potter. Suddenly, now that the Dementors' attack had been confirmed by the _Prophet_, people were actually feeling sorry for Harry, or thinking he was brave for fighting off two Dementors by himself. To her utter horror, she was unable to disabuse the callers of the fact that Percy would never engage in such reprehensible behaviour.

No, her day was definitely not off to a good start, and Molly was seriously contemplating sending that Skeeter woman a Howler when a strange bird flew through the still open window, depositing its burden on the kitchen table before veering off and heading back the way it had come, not bothering to land to rest up first.

Molly stared, dumfounded, at the red envelope that was lying on the table, trembling. Gingerly she picked it up, not understanding in the least why anyone would be sending her a Howler. Before she could decide if she should open it or just banish it, the letter took matters into its own hands and sprang to life.

"HOW DARE YOU BEHAVE IN SUCH A DESPICABLE MANNER? THAT BOY THINKS THE WORLD OF YOU AND YOUR FAMILY AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY THAT KINDNESS? BY HEAPING ABUSE ON HIM FOR BEING CHOSEN BY A VEELA? BY YELLING AT HIM FOR DARING TO BE HIS OWN MAN? YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A NARROW-MINDED SIMPLETON!

"MY FAMILY AND I, SO FAR, HAVE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH HARRY POTTER, BUT REST ASSURED THAT WE WILL DO EVERYTHING IN OUR POWER TO ENSURE THAT THAT BOY KNOWS HE HAS PEOPLE HE CAN COUNT ON. REAL PEOPLE, REAL FRIENDS WHO WON'T TURN THEIR BACKS ON HIM JUST BECAUSE THEY DISAGREE WITH SOMETHING HE DOES.

"YOU WERE GIVEN A PRECIOUS GIFT, THE LOVE OF THE BOY WHO LIVED, AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY HIM? SHAME ON YOU!"

Molly could only stare as the Howler burned itself into ashes, her ears still ringing from the strident voice telling her off. Then she got angry. How dared that hussy tell her what to do? Molly didn't recognise the voice, so she had no idea who the sender was. Which would indicate that the sender of the Howler didn't know her either.

"Just you wait until it is your children that are dragged into danger, all because of a child who don't know how to stay out of other people's business. Harry had no reason getting mixed up with the Philosopher's Stone! And the Chamber of Secrets, how dare he risk his life like that?" she snorted, conveniently forgetting that Harry had been the one to save her daughter's life.

This was all Potter's fault! Percy had been right, that brat always got everyone's attention. No wonder he was as spoilt as he was. To think she had worried about him. Served him right that he had been picked by the Malfoys, he fitted right in with that Death Eater crowd! Just you wait, she – and Percy – would soon be proven right, and then they would all be sorry they hadn't listened to them!

Smug in her knowledge that she was right, Molly turned to the stove to fix some lunch. However, she froze when she spotted three owls, carrying very red letters in their beaks, making their way towards the opened window. For a moment she considered closing the window, denying them access, but then she sighed. You could not stop a Howler. Resigning herself to a few unpleasant moments, she greeted the owls, who refused her offer of refreshments, gave her an evil eye before taking off, their mission accomplished.

xXx

Arthur Weasley remained at his job for as long as he could, even doing the paperwork he had been postponing for the last three months, anything to avoid going home. In the end there were no more excuses, and he Apparated home, not looking forward to the welcome his wife was sure to give him.

He was therefore utterly unprepared for Molly to throw herself around his neck and start sobbing.

"Molly? Dear? What is wrong? Is it the children…?" Arthur asked, getting worried.

"Howlers," his wife howled into his shoulder, "and fire calls. All day long. They all think Percy did it, they wouldn't listen to me. And the Howlers, I have received over two hundred of those foul things, all of them screaming at me for sending Harry that Howler," she sobbed, making it almost impossible for her husband to hear what she was saying.

He caught the jist of it though, and with a sigh, he set about calming her down. Deep within his heart though, he found next to no sympathy for her plight. In his opinion, it was about time someone stood up for Harry and told those belittling him off. He only wished he had been strong enough to step in before things had gotten so out of hand. He would have to write Harry a letter and apologise to the lad for his wife's actions. He could only hope that the youth would find it within his heart to forgive him.

HPDM

Cornelius Fudge was humming as he ate his breakfast. There had been no catastrophes, everyone was doing what they were supposed to do, and things were for once running smoothly. Hence the reason for his good mood.

He was therefore utterly unprepared for the headline blaring at him as he opened his copy of the _Daily Prophet_. Reading the article with growing dismay, Fudge fought the urge to bang his head against the table. What in Merlin's name had Dolores been up to during her time at Hogwarts? He had heard a rumour that she'd attempted to interrogate the Potter brat with _Veritaserum_, but he had disregarded that as nothing more than a rumour intent on blackening the Ministry. Dolores knew very well that such interrogations were not to be taken lightly.

Then there had been the mumbles that she'd tried to cast an Unforgivable on one of the students. Cornelius had dealt with _those_ swiftly and brutally. This, however, he could not hush up. The public would demand an investigation, and considering that he was the one who had assigned Dolores to Hogwarts, making it very clear that she had his full support…

Gulping, Cornelius managed to make it to his feet. Stumbling slightly, he made his way to his fireplace, putting in a call to his senior solicitor. He had a feeling a simple denial would not work this time. Then he groaned; Potter had the Malfoys behind him now; if there was even an ounce of truth in Skeeter's accusations, then Cornelius was in deep trouble. Very deep trouble.

HPDM

Percy was having a good morning as well. The previous evening he had been out with his fiancée, Penelope, and they had had a grand time together.

Opening his copy of the _Daily Prophet_, Percy felt his good mood evaporate like dew in the morning sun. Stumbling up from the table, he left his half-eaten breakfast without a second thought and hurriedly finished dressing. The Minister would no doubt wish to speak with him; Percy only hoped he would be given the chance to give his side of the story before being dismissed from his job.

Grumbling under his breath, Percy Apparated to the Ministry, thinking dark thoughts about Harry Potter, who seemed to delight in getting Percy into sticky situations.

HPDM

Dolores Umbridge was enjoying a morning in bed when her house-elf approached with a letter in her hand.

"This better be good!" she demanded harshly, reluctantly sitting up to better be able to tower over the creature. "I gave explicit orders _not_ to be disturbed."

"Selly is sorry, Mistress. Letter arrived for Mistress," the elf said, holding the letter with a trembling hand.

Dolores sniffed, but in the end she snatched the thing from the elf. Waving the creature from the room, she examined the seal. Seeing the personal seal of Cornelius Fudge, she broke into a big smile and eagerly tore the envelope open.

_Dearest Dolores,_

_What have you done! I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened this morning's Daily Prophet. I can only pray to Merlin that Skeeter is wrong, and that you haven't done what I'm beginning to think that you have done. Do you realise what a spot you have placed me in? You better get to my private office as quickly as possible, we will need to some damage control on this one!_

_Cornelius Fudge_

_Minister of Magic._

Dolores stared stupidly at the letter. What could have happened to put dear Cornelius in such a tizzy? Shouting for her house-elf, she climbed out of her bed with some difficulty; those blasted Centaurs had really done a number on her. Grumbling about stupid half-bloods and how she was going to kill every last one of those disgusting things, she made her way into the shower to start a new day. Best not to keep Cornelius waiting, the man always got so impatient when you did that.

HPDM

"You wanted to see me, Cornelius, dear?" Dolores asked in her little girl voice as she stepped inside the Minister's private office.

"Don't you 'dear' me, Dolores Umbridge!" Cornelius snapped, having worked himself into a frenzy. His interview with Weatherby had not gone well, and the advice he had received from his solicitors was even worse.

"Cornelius?" Dolores asked, faltering slightly. The Minister had never addressed her in such a manner before.

"Have you read this morning's paper?" Cornelius asked, brandishing the paper in question at her.

"No, I didn't have time, I came here as quickly as I could," Dolores simpered, giving the agitated Minister her best girlish smile. For once, it failed to impress.

"Then I suggest you read it," Fudge snarled, throwing it at her.

Dolores caught it awkwardly, crumbling it even more in the process. Opening it to the front page, she gasped in outrage at the headline. "How dare that woman meddle in things that don't concern her?" she gaped, scanning the article quickly.

"Did you send those Dementors after Potter?" Cornelius asked in a tight voice.

"What? Why would you think that, Cornelius? You know Skeeter, always eager to bend the truth to make a sell." Dolores giggled lightly, not about to admit to anything.

"Did you send those Dementors?" Cornelius asked once more, determined not to get sidetracked.

"Now, Cornelius, why would I…?"

"Dolores! Just answer the bloody question! Did. You. Send. Those. Blasted. Dementors?" Cornelius roared, slamming his fist down on the top of his desk.

Dolores blinked. "What makes you think I had anything to do with that unfortunate incident?" she eventually sniffed. "What makes you think…"

"Because while he there," Fudge pointed a finger at Percy, "might have been able to access the file containing Potter's address, he did not hold the authority needed to give orders to the Dementors. You, however, do."

"Oh, very well," Dolores sighed, rolling her eyes in annoyance. "Yes, I did give the orders to send a couple of Dementors to Surrey. I thought you would be happy, not yelling at me like this," she added with a pout.

Fudge just stared at her, along with the three solicitors and Percy.

"You thought I would be pleased that you sent Dementors after a fourteen year old boy?" he asked, just to make sure he had understood her correctly.

"Come now, Cornelius," Dolores scoffed. "You spent weeks moaning and complaining about Potter and Dumbledore, how they were conspiring to get you out of office. I figured that with the boy kissed, or at least incapacitated, he would cease to be a threat to you. It worked wonders too, didn't it? The public ate it up, believing every word the _Daily Prophet_ printed about him being insane, not to mention an attention seeker, and a spoiled brat," Dolores added with a shrug, not seeing the problem.

Fudge groaned, sinking into his chair, burying his head in his hands. Percy had grown pale and looked like he was about to be sick.

"But," the redhead stuttered, "you said… Did you really try to question Harry Potter using an entire bottle of Veritaserum? And did you truly attempt to put him under the _Cruciatus Curse_? And did-" Percy was forced to break off and moisturise a suddenly bone dry mouth. "Did you really use a Blood Quill on him?"

Dolores sneered at him, transforming her already unattractive face to something truly appalling. "I don't have to explain myself to you, you little toad," she snapped.

"No, but you _will _explain yourself to me!" Cornelius thundered, lifting his head from his hands and giving her a penetrating stare.

"Cornelius, dear-"

"Weasley, call in the Aurors," Fudge ordered, so upset that he for once remembered the name of his Undersecretary.

"Yes, Sir," Percy murmured, scurrying towards the door and the guard posted there.

"Cornelius!" Dolores cried out in protest, beginning to get slightly nervous.

"Tell me the truth, Dolores!" Fudge ordered, sending a signal to Percy to start taking notes.

"Very well," Dolores pouted, huffing a sigh and folding her arms across her ample bosom, looking like a five year old about to throw a tantrum. "Yes, I tried to interrogate the brat with _Veritaserum_. He knew more than he was letting on, I'm sure of it! The fact that he somehow managed to sidestep the effect of the truth potion only proves it!

"As for the _Cruciatus_, yes, I tried to use it on the little freak. If it wasn't for that friend of his, I would have succeeded and then I would finally know where Black was hiding, not to mention I would have had Dumbledore's secret weapon in my hands."

Cornelius could only stare at one of his most trusted people in horror. She had been prepared to use the Unforgivables on Potter? What else was she capable of? "What about the Blood Quill?" he managed to ask, not sure if he wanted to know the truth or not.

"Oh, I used that all right," Dolores stated smugly, a satisfied gleam in her eyes. "It was an old family heirloom, and it was ever so much fun giving Potter detentions on the flimsiest of reasons and then watching him use the thing, scarring himself for life. Oh, I don't think I will ever forget that sight," she sighed lustfully.

"Aurors, arrest that woman for the use of the Unforgivables, and for the use of an illegal torture device," Fudge said hollowly, not able to grasp the enormity of what he had been told.

"Cornelius! How dare you do this to me! I did this for you! You are the one who wanted the boy neutralised!" Dolores screeched, refusing to follow the two Aurors that were trying to lead her away.

"I would never have authorised the use of a Blood Quill," Cornelius said sadly, "and I think you know that. You have not helped me, in fact, bloody hell, woman, you have put me in a most awkward spot. You better pray that I will manage to salvage this mess, or you will live to regret it, mark my words!

"Weatherby! Prepare a press release, a special edition for tonight. The British people need to know that this unfortunate business is being investigated thoroughly."

"Yes, Sir," Percy mumbled, already trying out several phrases in his mind, looking for the best angle to minimize the damage to both his and Fudge's careers.

"You will regret this, Cornelius! I will never forgive you for this!" Dolores screamed as she was forcibly towed from the office. She continued to heap abuse on Fudge's head, and then at the Aurors leading her away, and it was with a sigh of relief that a third Auror hit her with a Silencing Charm.

Fudge turned to his three solicitors, and his heart sank as he watched them confer among themselves. The way they were shooting him glances and were shaking their heads did not bode well for him and his career.

Unable to sit still, Cornelius jumped to his feet and began pacing, trying to think of something, anything, to do to save himself. Unfortunately, nothing came to mind. He would place the entire blame on Dolores, of course, but since he had praised her with such ringing endorsement, her actions would still reflect back on him, painting him in a very bleak light.

A sound made him look up. The sight meeting his eyes caused him to pale drastically and sink into the nearest piece of furniture. The air was thick with owls, and they all were carrying large red envelopes.

For a moment, time seemed to be frozen. Then the screaming began.

HPDM

Percy had been working diligently on the press release for about half an hour when suddenly an owl flew over his head, dropping a Howler onto his desk.

The redhead watched the thing for several tense moments, but in the end he sighed and opened the envelope, bracing himself for his mother's strident voice. To his shock, it wasn't his mother who had sent him the Howler; however, it was much worse. It was Penelope.

"PERCIVAL IGNATIUS WEASLEY!

"HOW COULD YOU? HOW COULD YOU DO SOMETHING SO DESPICABLE AS AIDING THAT TOAD UMBRIDGE IN PERSECUTING HARRY POTTER? I KNOW THAT, FOR SOME REASON, YOU ARE NOT FOND OF THE BOY, BUT THIS IS LOW EVEN FOR YOU!

"I JUST COULD NOT BELIEVE IT WHEN I READ THIS MORNING'S PAPER, BUT LET ME TELL YOU SOMETHING, PERCIVAL WEASLEY: WE. ARE. THROUGH! I REFUSE TO SPEND MY LIFE WITH SOMEONE SO NARROW MINDED AND SHORT SIGHTED. I ACTUALLY THOUGHT YOU HAD A FUTURE AHEAD OF YOU. APPARENTLY, I WAS WRONG.

"YOU BETTER APOLOGISE TO HARRY FOR YOUR PART IN THIS FIASCO, OR MY FAMILY AND I WILL DO EVERYTHING WITHIN OUR POWER TO MAKE YOUR LIFE MISERABLE!"

With that the Howler burst into ashes, leaving Percy pale and shaken. How could his life fall apart so quickly? Taking several deep breaths to steady himself, he began to shake with anger. Apologise to Potter? Not likely! This was all Harry's fault! He was nothing but a spoilt little boy who was forever seeking attention! It was sickening how everyone was forever falling over themselves to give into that child's smallest whim, while other more deserving, not to mention hard working, students were completely overlooked and pushed aside! No, if Penelope chose to side with the likes of Harry Potter, then he was better off without her!

Snorting in annoyance, Percy returned to working on his press release. He didn't get very far though, before several owls came through the delivery chute, each of them with a Howler clamped in their beaks. Slowly Percy leaned forward until his forehead was resting against the table top, and as the first Howler sprang to life, he began banging his head against the desk, whishing he had never heard of Harry Potter.

HPDM

Narcissa smiled smugly when the wards told her that her husband had returned home. She knew the Dark Lord would be able to talk some sense into her wayward spouse. To think the man had the nerve to ignore her! Her!

The smile transformed into a smirk as she made her way to Lucius' private study. Walking through the door, she was a little surprised to see him with what looked like a small army of house-elves, but she merely shrugged it aside. House-elves were of no concern to her.

"Lucius, darling, it so good to see you again," she said, gliding towards him. "Does this mean that you will be accompanying me to the Ministry party after all?" she added, secure in the knowledge that he would, already planning what dress robes to get and what type of jewellery she would need to go with it.

"Hello, Narcissa, my _darling_ wife," Lucius said with a heavy dose of irony. Dismissing the elves, he turned to look at the woman who had made his life miserable for so long. To his great satisfaction, he found that he felt nothing. Not even the smallest urge to make her happy, or to fulfil her whims. Shaking his head, he chuckled, this would be easier than he'd thought.

"Lucius?" Narcissa asked, sensing that something was off with her husband's behaviour.

"Narcissa, Narcissa, Narcissa," Lucius said, still chuckling and shaking his head. "How aptly named you were. Do you ever think of anyone but yourself? No matter, the Dark Lord and I had a most interesting chat today, and oddly enough, you popped up in our conversation. Apparently, I've been 'neglecting' you. A more ludicrous statement I've never heard, considering that I haven't even been gone for two weeks. We've been apart for longer times than that in the past."

Narcissa snorted. "Perhaps so," she said with an elegant wave of her hand, "but you have never refused to accompany me to a party before."

It was Lucius' turn to snort. "All you are interested in is getting new clothes, jewellery, and lording over all those pathetic women who are as obsessed as you are with parties and their social standing.

"Never mind that. As it happens, the Dark Lord and I talked about a few other things as well," Lucius said, smoothly changing the topic, not interested in getting into a screaming match with his wife just yet. "A certain potion was mentioned."

Narcissa looked unimpressed. "Unless it was a pregnancy potion, I don't see how it concerns me," she stated, giving him a dark look. He wasn't about to bring that nonsense up again, was he?

Lucius laughed. "No, it wasn't a pregnancy potion, you are quite safe on that front, Narcissa, darling."

"Then what potion was it?" Narcissa asked impatiently, wanting to get back to talk about the party.

"Black Truth," Lucius said with a smug smirk, leaning back in his chair to be able to fully take in the expressions on his wife's face.

"Black Truth?" Narcissa asked, striving for nonchalance and disinterest but not quite managing it. "What of it?" she added, wondering just what he knew.

"Apparently, Harry found and talked to the creator of that potion this summer. You will never guess who that was."

"Who?" Narcissa asked, beginning to get nervous. This could spell catastrophe for her. Blast that boy to the deepest hell!

"You are not to touch the boy, Narcissa. He is Draco's mate and the union has the Dark Lord's full support," Lucius said with a warning glare.

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of interfering, dear," Narcissa said sugar sweetly.

"I'm sure you wouldn't," Lucius snorted, not believing her for a moment. "But that is neither here nor there. Back to the Black Truth. It has come to my attention that it was one of your ancestors who invented the thing. One Horatio Black? You realise what this means, don't you?"

"Means?" Narcissa echoed with a frown.

"Yes, means. One of _my_ ancestors swore an oath of revenge on the creator of that blasted potion."

"What does that have to do with me? I wasn't even born when that thing was made," Narcissa scoffed, feeling a cold fist grip her heart. She wasn't as ignorant as she pretended to be. She was, after all, a Black. The Black family was famous for their willingness to go that extra mile to get revenge for the smallest slight.

Lucius smiled a truly feral smile. "I have petitioned the Dark Lord, and he agrees with me, that I am within my right to demand retribution from the Black family. Your punishment, well, part of it anyway, has been decided. You will be banished to a remote little estate that has been in the family for generations. I suggest you go and pack, and pack for a warm climate, dear."

Narcissa gasped. "You can't do this!"

"I can and I will. You should have thought of this before you went whining to the Dark Lord, Narcissa, he doesn't like it when domestic disputes get brought to his attention. Now run along and pack."

"How long will I be away?" Narcissa asked with forced meekness, determined to get back at her husband as quickly as possible.

"Don't worry, dear, it is just for a month or two. Take heart, it could have been much, much worse," Lucius warned. Dismissing her from his mind, he turned his attention to the various documents scattered on his desk.

Narcissa watched for a few moments, waiting for, she wasn't sure what, but in the end she went and packed as ordered. She would make him pay for this though. She couldn't believe the lengths he would go to just to get out of attending a party! Grumbling to herself, she made her way to her bedroom. Oh, Lucius would pay for doing this to her!

Lucius watched her leave from the corner of his eye, biting back a chuckle. Who would have thought getting Harry Potter as part of the family would be so much fun?

"We is done as Master wished," a voice said, causing Lucius to start and look down to his left.

"Good. Everything of value has been removed? And you have made certain that neither of them can leave nor have contact with the outside world?"

"All is removed and special wards has been put up," the house-elf promised, giving her Master a wolfish grin, which Lucius returned. He knew none of his elves had ever cared for Narcissa, and by the looks of it, they were not above getting some payback for all the misery she had caused them.

"Thank you. Please take this note to Lord Voldemort, and bring Bellatrix to the hideout as soon as he says she is ready to go."

Messy bowed, and taking the note, she popped away.

Grinning, Lucius made himself comfortable, and began to read the missives Fudge had sent to him that Narcissa hadn't bothered to send along to Hogwarts. He would have to have a talk to the house-elves about setting up some sort of communications system since he had no intention of leaving the school anytime soon.

HPDM

Narcissa picked herself up from the floor, ready to scream bloody murder. It was humiliating enough that she had to hold on to a _house-elf_ of all things to get to wherever she was going, but the blasted thing had had the _gall_ to drop her midair!

"Very graceful, 'Cissa, what _will_ you do for an encore?"

The blood freezing in her veins, Narcissa turned to look at the person who had spoken. When she came face to face with her sister, she did scream bloody murder.

"What are you doing here!" she shrieked once she could talk again.

"I accidentally made the Dark Lord unhappy with me, and he figured I could do with a vacation. What about you?" Bellatrix asked calmly.

"Lucius refused to take me to a party, and concocted some lame story of owing Horatio Black payback for some potion or other," Narcissa said with disdain, looking around her new 'home'.

Bellatrix paled. "Was the potion called Black Truth?" she asked with a trembling voice.

"I believe so, yes. What's the matter with you?"

"Narcissa Belladonna Black, you are an imbecile! Mother was right about you, she always said your lack of appreciation for the family history would be your downfall!"

"So what?"

"So what? Due to the happenings of 1022, the Malfoy family swore an oath to get revenge on the family that had created the Black Truth! Do you honestly believe that banishing you to this place for a few months will satisfy an Oath of Vengeance sworn by a _Malfoy_? Then you don't know the Malfoy family at all, despite being married to one of them for almost twenty years!"

Narcissa snorted. "Lucius won't be able to do anything to me. I'm his mate."

"No, you're not!" Bellatrix stated bluntly. "We all know Severus Snape is Lucius' true mate. With him spending so much time at Hogwarts, aren't you afraid your iron grip on your husband will loosen? A year ago, hell, six months ago, would he have been able to deny you anything?" she added in a taunting voice, happy to see the righteous look on her sister's face slip a few notches.

"He wouldn't dare!" Narcissa cried angrily. "Besides, the Dark Lord won't let him."

"Voldemort wouldn't have much say in the matter, now would he? Not if the ties to you are starting to disintegrate. And with the two of us stuck here, Lucius will be free to seek Severus' company to his heart's content. Very clever of him, and with getting Voldemort's permission, there isn't much our Lord can do, is there?" Bellatrix asked, beginning to admire the excellent way Lucius had handled things. "I wouldn't be too surprised, sister dear, if you were served with divorce papers the moment your confinement here is over."

"He can't!" Narcissa stated hotly, though she was beginning to get worried.

"He can. Veela law, my dear. Any Veela not bonded with his or her true mate can get a divorce once their true mate is found."

"But he is bound to me, his father made sure of that."

Bellatrix shrugged her shoulders; this exile was turning out to be fun! "That forced bond was based on Lucius' desire to protect his child. Draco is sixteen now, in the process of wooing his own mate. He isn't a child anymore. You should have used the time to bind him tighter to you, and not relying solely on his bond to Draco."

Narcissa looked for something to throw at her infuriatingly smug sister. Not finding anything, she stamped her foot and swept out of the room, intent to get a hold of one of her lovers.

xXx

Half an hour later, Narcissa collapsed on her bed, sobbing in frustration. Lucius Malfoy had, for the first time since their marriage, managed to outsmart her. There was no valuable objects in the house for her to throw, so there was no point in throwing a tantrum, leaving her without her usual mean of venting her emotions.

The house was not hooked up to the Floo system, so she couldn't use that to contact any of her lovers. The wards around the place prevented her from Apparating, and there was no bird of any kind, so she couldn't even send a letter.

To add insult to injury, she was trapped on a tropical island! Lucius knew very well that she burned easy, making it practically impossible for her to venture outside due to the strong sun. Something Bellatrix was only too happy to gloat about, spending several hours outside, enjoying the fresh air and the warm water of the ocean.

At least he had given her the aid of a house-elf, so she wouldn't have to clean or cook. Unfortunately, he had given the thing strict orders of what it was allowed to do, so it too was refusing to help her, and when she tried to make it change its mind with a bout of the_ Cruciatus Curse_, it had the nerve to take her wand from her!

Slowly it began to sink in. She was trapped on a tropical island she could not enjoy, with her insufferable sister, with the bare minimum of furniture, and with only Muggle books to read. She didn't even have any chocolates or other sweets to dull the boredom with – she wasn't counting the tins filled with Lemon Drops, she wasn't _that_ desperate!

At this rate, she would be _insane_, if not _dead_, by the end of the week! How was she supposed to last an entire month! Oh, she was so going to get Lucius for doing this to her!

HPDM

Albus Dumbledore walked into his office with a tired sigh and collapsed into his chair. Fawkes trilled a few notes and flew over to land on his bonded's arm, rubbing his head against Albus' cheek.

"This has not been a good day," the aged wizard said with another tired sigh. "In fact, it has been a lousy few _days_. I have handled the situation with Harry totally wrong. I had no idea he held so much hostility towards me. I just don't understand. I apologised to him. I have done my best to show that I support him and believe in him. I have told him how important he is to this war; what more does he want from me?

"And then there is the kidnapping. We were fortunate it was just some dotty old woman, and not Tom. We will have to be careful from now on though, in case this gave him ideas. Whatever Tom is, he isn't stupid. In fact, apart from Hermione Granger, and possibly Minerva, I don't think I have ever taught a more clever and intelligent student. Too bad his ambition took him on such a dark and dangerous path."

Leaning back in his chair, absentmindedly stroking his pet's warm feathers, Albus lost himself in memories of days gone by.

The hoot of an owl brought him back to the present. Looking up, he noted yet another owl, with a red letter in its beak. Accepting the Howler, he waited until the bird had left before flicking it into the fireplace. It immediately sprang to life, spewing forth its message. Fortunately, the strong wards Filius had helped him put up several years ago prevented him from hearing what the sender had to say.

Sitting back in his chair once more, Albus found himself both grateful and curious that Molly hadn't contacted him to shout at him for allowing Percy to be dragged into this mess. As if he had any control over what her son was doing. No, young Percival had made his choice, and would now have to live with it. As they all had to do.

Giving Fawkes a final pat, Albus climbed to his feet and made his way to his bedroom. Maybe things would look a bit brighter after a good night's sleep. And maybe, just maybe, he would get some inspiration on how to deal with Harry.

* * *

**Next Time:  
**The boys have a quiet afternoon,  
and the first DA-meeting is taking place.  
Until Then… 


	36. Tender Emotions

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed. I really and truly appreciate all the positive feedback. Thank you!

Vaughn has corrected this chapter; any mistakes left are my own.

* * *

**Tender Emotions**

Harry woke up and immediately knew where he was. There was only one place that smelled the like this. The hospital wing.

For a moment he debated going back to sleep, but he was too well rested for that to be an option, so he opened his eyes instead, intent on sneaking out of the infirmary at earliest opportunity.

Instead of the sharp, bright light that usually assaulted him first thing when he managed to open his eyes in this place, he was faced with a sea of green. Blinking his eyes a few times to see if that made a difference -- it didn't -- he leaned up on an elbow to try and figure this mystery out.

Then he chuckled. How could he have forgotten Draco? It was his shirt he had been pressed tightly against.

"See something amusing?" Draco asked, having followed Harry's attempts to fully wake up.

"Nah, just trying to figure out when Pomfrey abandoned white for green," Harry replied, sitting up properly in the bed.

Draco looked startled for a moment, and then he laughed. Setting the book he'd been reading aside, he too sat up, allowing the light blanket that had been covering them to fall to the side. "Is there any point of me asking how you are feeling?"

"Nah, I'm fine," Harry said with a giggle. It felt good to have someone to joke around with. To be with someone you could be yourself with; someone with whom you didn't have to watch every word you were about to say in fear of setting them off into a rant if what you said didn't fit their image of you.

Feeling his heart swell with emotions, Harry reached out and gently stroked the back of his fingers along Draco's fine cheekbone. "Thank you," he whispered, knowing the words were woefully inadequate for expressing what he wanted to say.

"You are welcome, love," Draco murmured, afraid to upset the fragile moment, happily drowning in Harry's green, expressive eyes.

Harry had no idea how long they'd been sitting there, gazing into each other's eyes when his stomach suddenly growled, destroying the moment.

Looking down and giving it a glare, he couldn't help but chuckle when Draco's infectious laugh filled the room. "I think someone needs to be fed," Draco said with affection tinged with amusement.

Harry smiled ruefully, "I guess so. What time is it anyway?"

Draco cast a quick _Tempus_. "Five o'clock. No wonder you are hungry, you haven't eaten since breakfast. I'll call for the nurse and…"

"Do you have to? Can't we just sneak out of here? She will spend the next half hour fussing and scolding. I'm fine. Starved, but fine. Please, Draco?"

Draco looked at his mate and caved. How was he supposed to refuse that look? Besides, both Severus and Pomfrey had stated that all Harry needed was to sleep the effects of the potion off, and he had done that. Add to that the way the nurse had been skulking around, looking like she wanted to do something to the brunet, but unable to due to him being so close to the Veela, and the decision to sneak out was easy to make.

Nodding his head in agreement, Draco slid out of bed, picking up the book he had been amusing himself with while waiting for Harry to finally wake up, and shrinking and tucking it into a pocket. Looking over at Harry, he wasn't surprised to find that the youth was already waiting for him at the door, practically jumping from foot to foot. Snickering softly, Draco hurried over to the other boy, and together they opened the door a crack and slipped through it, never alerting the mediwitch of their departure.

HPDM

"That was way too easy!" Harry stated, collapsing on a sofa the moment they arrived in their private suite.

"Not really," Draco disagreed. "We were just lucky. Apparently there was a scuffle in the Hufflepuff common room, and Pomfrey went there with Professor Flitwick in an attempt to sort them out. I understand the little fools added a few charms and things got… interesting."

"Hufflepuff?" Harry echoed. "I didn't think they had scuffles."

"Oh, they do. They mostly have them in places where the rest of the school never hears of it. Not all altercations are as public as the ones we used to have," Draco admitted a bit ruefully.

Harry laughed as he remembered a few of their more colourful confrontations.

"So, what do you want to eat?" Draco asked, turning serious and business like. He was not about to let his mate go hungry a moment longer.

"I'm not sure. Do you think the house-elves could rustle up some Chinese? I've always wanted to try deep-fried pork, and shrimps, not to mention deep-fried squid," Harry said a bit dreamily. "The Dursleys would always lock me up in my cupboard when they had Chinese take-out. Vernon said it was too expensive to waste on me."

Draco managed to hold his temper, but only barely. The matter-of-fact way that Harry used when talking about such blatant abuse had the Veela seeing red. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Draco snapped his fingers and summoned Dobby, knowing the elf would know how to get hold of the desired foods.

HPDM

"That was absolutely incredible!" Harry stated, putting down his chopsticks. "I knew this stuff smelled divine, but I had _no_ idea just how good it tasted."

"I'm glad you liked it. I don't know how he does it, but Dobby has always been the one to go to when you are in mood for Chinese," Draco said, putting down his own chopsticks. It had been fun, what with teaching Harry how to use the chopsticks, and Draco couldn't remember the last time he'd eaten such a fun and light-hearted meal.

"I'll have to remember that. Do you think Dobby would agree to come and work for you again? I find that I don't want to leave him behind once we leave Hogwarts. And how come he was so mistreated? From what little I have seen, you don't abuse house-elves the way Dobby seemed to be abused when I first met him in my second year."

"I hope he will agree to come back to us," Draco nodded. "As for the abuse, the Malfoy family have always realised the importance of house-elves. Without their help and assistance, our lives would be that much harder and much more boring. Even with the help of magic, cleaning and such are no fun!

"No, it was Narcissa that abused the elves. Teaching them to fear their masters. With Father being under her spell the way he was, he was forced to go along with her ideas, at least in public. Poor Dobby came with her when she married Father. He was her personal elf, you see. They were bonded shortly after she was born. She was livid that Dad had lost her Dobby, and she made his life miserable for months. But you know what? When I got home that summer and he told me what had happened, we were both happy that you had freed him. Since he was Narcissa's personal elf, there wasn't much we could do to help him," Draco said, a far away look on his face as he remembered.

"Then I'm glad I did it," Harry said, putting a hand on Draco's. "Thank you for telling me this. It's actually been bugging me a little. The Malfoys I've been seeing the last few weeks just didn't match the Malfoys I was seeing before. Frankly, it was giving me a headache! But I think I understand better now, and I promise you that I will do everything in my powers to remove the Dark Mark from both your father, and from Severus, and do anything I can to make sure those two are bonded and given a chance to live happily ever after. They deserve it."

Fighting back the tears that threatened to fall, Draco pulled Harry into a fierce hug. "Thank you. Thank you for looking beyond the mask. Thank you for caring."

"Oh, Draco. How could I not care? You are a wonderful person, and I think I'm beginning to fall in love with you. No, I'm the one who should be thanking you. Thank you for putting up with me. Thank you for taking the time to see beyond the scar. Thank you for not running away, screaming. Thank you-"

Draco shut his mate up the only way he felt was right. He pressed his lips against Harry's in a chaste kiss. Pulling away after a few seconds, he couldn't help but grin at the blush heating the brunet's face.

The grin turned tender when Harry ducked his head and gave the Veela a shy smile, glancing up at the other boy through his lashes. Pulling Harry into a hug, Draco sighed with contentment when Harry snuggled his head into the crook of Draco's neck.

HPDM

That was the scene Lucius walked in upon half an hour later when he came to check up on the boys. He had been with Severus, giving him a report of that day's events when Poppy had come marching, smoke practically coming out of her ears and nose, demanding to know where the boys were. She hadn't been mollified until Lucius had promised to go and check on them personally, and that he would take them to the hospital wing at the slightest hint of something being wrong.

Planting his fists on his hips, Lucius looked the two boys over slowly, causing Harry to squirm and Draco to roll his eyes.

"I hope you have had the sense to eat something," he eventually said, when he had judged the silence to have gone on long enough.

"Yes, Father. Of course, Father. You really shouldn't worry so much, Father," Draco said in a droll tone of voice, causing Harry to giggle.

The corners of Lucius' lips twitched. "Don't take that tone of voice with me, son. I am still capable of doling out painful and unusual punishments."

"Oh? Like what?" Harry asked, his eye lightening up with intrigue and amusement.

Lucius laughed and dropped his pose of stern and disapproving father, and settled in a chair opposite the boys. "Like taking away his broom, forcing him to fly on the laughable things the school provides. Forcing him to spend time with Narcissa during the holidays. Though I suppose that one is no longer available," Lucius mused, a glint in his eyes.

"What happened? Have you divorced her already? What did she say? What did you say?" Draco asked eagerly, leaning forward in his seat, the questions tumbling from his lips not giving his father a chance to reply.

Lucius chuckled. "No, we aren't divorced. Not yet, anyway. When I left the hospital wing, I was summoned by the Dark Lord. He had heard what had happened to Pansy Parkinson, and he wanted me to confirm the rumours, and give him a status report on our seduction of Harry Potter to the Dark side.

"Turns out Narcissa had gone complaining to him that I was refusing to take her to some party or other, I never did get the particulars. Not that I was particularly interested in finding out what stupid thing she was set on going to this time.

"Anyway, I apologised profusely, and informed him of the origin of the Black Truth. He was most interested, and agreed with my suggestion of sending Narcissa into seclusion. He liked the idea so much he agreed on sending Bellatrix there as well. I have no idea what she could have done to anger him that much, but both of them will stay where they are until Christmas, which should give us plenty of time to arrange everything," Lucius concluded with a pleased little smile.

"Where did you send them?" Draco asked, not particularly concerned about his mother's fate.

"To that small, unknown island just outside the coast of Australia."

"Mother can't have been pleased when she found out about that!" Draco chuckled. "She burns really easy and hates the sun with a passion," he explained to Harry, who had given the Veela a questioning look at his reaction. "Add to that the fact that she loathes Aunt Bella, and you have a recipe for disaster."

"Won't she be able to escape?" Harry wanted to know. "She is a witch, after all, as is Bellatrix."

"True, but I had a few of my house-elves go there and erect a ward that she cannot penetrate. I even had to have one of the elves bring her there, since no Portkey or other means of travel will be able to penetrate it. It is not widely known, but the Malfoys have always been on good standing with the house-elves. It is witches like Narcissa that give the magical world a bad name," Lucius added, looking grim for a moment.

Shaking the mood off, he continued, "Besides, I have several of the elves keeping an eye on them. They have been given permission to do everything it takes to make sure the two don't escape. They are completely cut off from the outside world, and are utterly unable to send a message to anyone, so a rescue isn't possible either. No, they are stuck there until either I or the Dark Lord decides to call them back.

"That reminds me. Why didn't Riddle pick up on the fact that I am no longer loyal to him? I'm good, but I'm not that good; he should have known something was up the moment I appeared before him, but he didn't as much as twitch, behaving as if I was his most loyal follower."

Harry looked pensive for a moment, absentmindedly chewing his lower lip while he thought. All three startled when a soft hissing suddenly emitted from Lucius.

Making a face, the blond aristocrat pulled the sleeves up, baring his forearm. It was not exactly painful; still, it was a most peculiar sensation, almost like a large snake was slithering just under his skin.

Harry hissed a greeting, and more snake sounds came from the arm.

Laughing slightly, the brunet relaxed back in his seat, unconsciously snuggling closer to Draco. "It was Eturo. He sent old Voldie what he wanted to know, making him believe that you are just as devoted to him now as you have ever been. He saw no reason to distrust you, because the snakes have never lied to him before," Harry explained with a relieved smile. He hadn't realised until now just how much he cared for the older Malfoy, and how devastated he would be if anything happened to him.

"That is good to know," Lucius acknowledged. "Please tell him that I am very thankful for his assistance, and that I'm grateful she decided to help me."

Harry nodded and translated the message. Eturo hissed once more and then grew still, becoming a tattoo once more.

"He says you are welcome. However, he didn't do it for you, he did it for himself. He isn't sure he would be released if you were killed before we release him, so it was in his own interest to keep Voldie happy."

Lucius blinked, then he laughed. Trust a snake to act like a Slytherin. Rolling his sleeve down, the blond felt a change of subject was needed. "Are you ready to face the school, or should we postpone the first DA meeting? I am sure they will understand, considering that you were kidnapped this morning."

Draco pulled Harry closer to him, as he remembered the feelings of rage and helplessness that had filled him when his mate had disappeared right in front of his eyes. Harry gave him a glance, and a small smile, patting the closest arm in an attempt to offer comfort. Turning his attention back to Lucius, Harry nodded his head. "I'm ready. I need to do this tonight. I can't allow fear and worries about what might happen rule my life. If I did, I would never leave these rooms again. Besides, I have both you and Draco to look out for me now, none of the students of this school would be stupid enough to mess with me with you two present."

"That is not what I asked, Harry," Lucius scolded lightly.

"I know," Harry acknowledged with a soft sigh. "I'm fine. Josy didn't have time to hurt me, and I've slept off the effect of that dratted Calming Draught. Don't worry, sir, I'm fine."

Lucius gave him a searching look, but allowed the matter to drop. He couldn't wrap the boy up in cotton, no matter how much his instincts were screaming at him to do just that. He had to trust that Harry knew his own limits, and support him as much as possible, keeping a lookout for complications and hidden dangers.

"So, son, when will you hold the first Quidditch meeting? You need to do it soon, or the other Houses will have booked all the good practise slots."

"Yeah," Harry piped up, "you need to make sure the Slytherin team is in top form, you will need it to push the Gryffindors out of the sky."

"Supporting the enemy, Harry?" Draco teased, lifting an eyebrow in a superior manner.

"No, just wanting to make sure that you cream Ron. With me off the team, I bet you a hundred Galleons that they make Ron the new Quidditch Captain for the Gryffindor team. I'm pretty sure Angelina won't want it, what with this being her N.E.W.T. year and all. I want him to look extremely foolish when he loses against the snakes. He is forever bragging about what a splendid tactician he is, and how the Chudley Cannons would never lose a game ever again if they would just employ his ideas. I want him taken down a peg or two. You _will_ make sure he loses, and loses spectacularly, won't you, love?" Harry asked, batting his eyelashes at his boyfriend.

"With an incentive like that, how can I do anything other than my utmost to make sure Ron gets what he is due?" Draco asked with a delighted laugh. He had been worried that Harry would resent him still being on the team, no matter what ringing proclamations of the opposite.

"See that you do," was Harry's only reply, before he started to discuss different tactics to use against the different teams, leading to a lively debate between the three of them that lasted until it was time to head off to the Great Hall.

HPDM

Harry looked out over the sea of faces that were all looking at him, and couldn't help wondering how on earth he had allowed himself to be talked into this. It was one thing to tutor a few students wanting to thumb their noses at Umbridge. This... this was something completely different, and Harry found himself unsure if he was up to the task.

Draco seemed to sense his unease, for the blond leaned closer and whispered, "Just imagine how utterly disappointed Dumbles will be when you turn the student body away from him."

The image did wonders to Harry's confidence, and it was with a cheerful smile that he climbed up on the duelling platform the Headmaster had created for him. Looking out over the gathered students, Harry was pleased to notice that a surprisingly large number of the Slytherins were present. It looked like his tentative attempts to get to know the snakes better were paying off. At least they had come to find out what was going on and weren't rejecting him outright for being a Gryffindork.

His smile widening, Harry threw his arms out in welcome and said, "Greetings to everyone. I'm happy to see so many of you have decided to come here tonight. It is dangerous times we are living in, and knowing how to defend yourself and your loved ones is becoming more and more important each passing day. However, I'm not about to lecture you on what's going on outside these walls, so relax.

"What I _am_ going to do is help you learn how to take care of yourself when faced with a threat. That threat might be Dementors, Devil's Snares or, Merlin forbid, Death Eaters. If you become a member of this club, I will do my utmost to teach you all I can to help you survive another day. To do that, we all must forget about the House rivalry. I don't care if you are a Hufflepuff or a Slytherin, a Ravenclaw or a Gryffindor. What I care about is that you all learn to the best of your ability. Because what I teach you may one day save your life.

"Since there are quite a few of you, and only one of me, I will split you into three groups –

Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. Which group you end up in depends on you. I will judge by skill and knowledge. I don't care if you are a fifth year or a third year. In here, we are all individuals. Last year when I taught the DA, we were a mottled group ranging from fourth year to seventh, and we all got on more or less well. There were a few moments when nerves were ragged and we disagreed on things, but in the end we worked together, and we beat the odds.

"We worked together as a group, growing stronger together, and that is what I want for this group as well. United, we are strong, divided, we _will_ fall. I will lead you and teach you all that I know. The rest is up to you.

"However, I won't be the only one teaching you. As you can see, Lucius Malfoy is with us tonight," Harry said, indicating the blond standing to the side, watching the students with hooded eyes. "He has generously agreed to supervise us since the headmaster deemed it necessary to have an adult's help in case we take on more than we can handle," Harry ended with a grin, which earned him a few titters. "But he isn't the only one. Ginny and Neville here have also promised they will help with the instructions, and I am hoping a few more of the original DA will assist me as time and homework allows.

"There is one more thing I wish to bring up before we start what we came here for, and that is the name of this club. We jokingly named ourselves 'Dumbledore's Army' when we formed the DA. We thought it appropriate at the time since we formed it to spite Umbridge and Fudge. That is no longer the case. We are starting this fresh with new members and a new structure. If any of you have an idea what we should call ourselves, please write it down and hand it to me, Draco or Lucius. The winner will receive a box of Chocolate Frogs," Harry finished, earning himself a cheer from most of those present.

"To show you a little of what we did last year, my two assistants have promised to show off a few of the tricks they learned under my excellent tutelage. Ginny, Neville, the stage is yours," Harry said with a wide grin, jumping off the platform.

Ginny and Neville walked to the middle of the platform, and turned so they stood back to back. Smartly they marched the required steps, and spun. Bowing, never taking their eyes off each other, they waited while Lucius counted down to three. On three, Neville cried, '_Stupefy_', which Ginny neatly sidestepped, crying, '_Expellariamus_'. Neville put up a shield, absorbing the spell.

The following duel was talked about for a long time. The two duellers really did put on a show, and Harry wondered how they'd managed to coordinate the thing, considering how little time they'd had to put it together.

Lesser spells like the tickling charm were intermingled with more difficult charms, showing that it didn't matter much _what_ you hit your opponent with, as long as it did the job of distracting the enemy. The key word being 'hit'. In the end, more difficult spells were brought into play and the duel was ended in a spectacular way when Ginny bounced her Stupefy off the wall and hit Neville from the side, but not before he had managed to conjure a Devil's Snare that wrapped itself around her feet, preventing her from dodging his disarming spell. Thus the duel ended in a draw, and the students went wild, clapping and cheering.

Harry laughed and banished the plant before it could climb too high, and revived Neville, who took the tie with a laugh and a shrug. It had been fun, and it didn't matter much to him that there was no clear winner, at least not this time.

It took a while, but eventually Harry, with the help of Lucius, Draco, Ginny, and Neville, got things calmed down and organised, and they spent the rest of the evening testing the students on their skills with some basic spells for their respective year, taking note of strength and accuracy.

By the time they were finished, Harry was exhausted and he was extremely happy to send them all off to bed with the promise of letting them know which group they'd been sorted into and when the next meeting was by Saturday. The students left, chatting excitedly amongst themselves.

"You did well, Harry," Lucius said, settling next to the youth, who was slumping against a happy looking Draco.

"Thank you," Harry said with a soft smile. Turning to his friends, he added, "Gin, Nev, you were terrific! I can't believe you put that together in one day."

"Thanks, Harry, but it wasn't that difficult. We just mixed together a few of the things you did last year and went from there. It was fun. You should include that in the club, allowing a few to work out a duel against each other and have them do it before an audience. Their fellow members could be the judges and they could give points for originality and stuff, and deduct points for bad performance and such. I think it could be a great help."

Harry folded his arms across his chest and stared down at the tip of his boots. "That's not a bad idea, Gin. I'll consider it and see what can be done." Looking up, he grinned. "I don't know about you, but I'm wasted. I'm going to bed." He pushed away from the platform, missing the warmth from Draco immediately. The two Malfoys rose to their feet as well and began to leave the Hall, walking beside him.

"I don't care what Ron says. Those two are good for Harry. I've never seen him this happy. Last year his eyes were so haunted, so sad. But this year..."

"I know what you mean, Gin. He is happy, maybe for the first time in his life," Neville replied. Then he was ambushed by a yawn. "Harry had the right idea. Let's go to bed."

Ginny nodded, and together the two friends left the Hall, talking softly about their duel and about the students they had assessed that night. If that was the best they could do, the future of the wizarding world was bleak indeed.

HPDM

Later that night, Ginny crawled into bed, but although she was tired, she was unable to relax enough to actually fall asleep. So much had happened lately. Ever since she had laid eyes on Harry, she had fancied him. Many a time she had fantasised about how it would be to marry him and settle down in a cottage, not unlike the Burrow, with lots and lots of kids. Harry would come home at night, after a demanding day working as an Auror, but never being too tired for her or the children. And they would go on exciting holidays, seeing the world.

Her hero-worship took new flight after the fiasco with Riddle's diary, when Harry came down to the Chamber of Secrets to save her, just like a dashing knight rescuing his chosen damsel.

For years she had yearned and hoped that he would see her as more than Ron's little sister. However, that day had somehow never arrived, and when she found out about Malfoy being a Veela, her heart had been crushed. She had still hoped though, that somehow, miraculously, Harry would wake up and realise that it was her he belonged with. Not Draco Malfoy.

Now she was wondering though. What she had told Neville was the truth; she had never seen Harry this happy. And she knew Harry well enough to know that rich or poor didn't matter to him at all. Draco could have been as poor as the Weasleys were, and Harry would have been just as happy. No, Harry wasn't shallow like that, not like her brother Ron, who let jealousy rule him.

Shaking her head, Ginny turned over, trying to find a comfortable position. Then there was the whole thing with the mail. She had never been so embarrassed as when her mother's Howler had reamed Harry out in the Great Hall, and for what? It was just as Harry had said. He dared to be himself, not caring what others thought. And Draco had supported him. She would never have been able to do that. As the youngest, she was used to having to fight to make her family see and hear her, but she still craved their good opinion of her. She was well aware that her mother would have a lot to say to her if she ever found out that Ginny was still supporting Harry, and knowing her brother, her mother would find out sooner rather than later. She still wasn't sure how to handle that fallout. Would she be strong enough to stand up to her mother to do what she knew was right?

If she couldn't even stand up to her own mother, how would she be able to stand up to the rest of the world? A world that was so quick to condemn, without bothering finding out what the truth was?

Shifting around once more, Ginny was forced to accept the harsh truth. She would never be that strong. She would never be able to support Harry the way he needed to be supported, and no matter how much it hurt to accept it, she knew Draco Malfoy was. Especially if he was backed by his father; Lucius Malfoy had the connections to protect Harry. Neither she nor her family had the power of influence needed.

Burrowing into her pillow, Ginny made her decision. She would do everything in her power to support Harry, but no more would she build her hopes and dreams around him. She would find herself a nice, uncomplicated boy who shared her dreams of a quiet home life with lots and lots of children. Ginny had a feeling that a life with that as of yet unknown boy would make her much happier than a life with the Boy-Who-Lived ever could.

HPDM

Back in their rooms, Draco found it impossible to relax enough to even think about retiring for the night. He had managed quite well in pushing the kidnapping to the back of his mind, but now, when he had nothing more that needed to do, and Harry was safely tucked away in Draco's bed, the Veela found that his mind kept playing the moment Harry disappeared again and again. And again and again he remembered the feelings of fear and rage that had filled him, as realisation sunk in that someone had _dared_ to snatch his Harry away.

The letter and photo from that tart Sweetberry didn't do anything to calm his mind. A sudden burst of pain emitting from his back caused Draco to jump and rip the vest and ruined shirt off his body. Craning his neck, he glared at the two black wings that had suddenly appeared; he hadn't realised that he'd been that angry and concerned.

"Looks like you can't settle down either," Harry said, causing Draco to jump again, since he hadn't heard the other boy approach. He hadn't even noticed that his mate had gotten out of bed. Shaking his head at his own inattentiveness, Draco sighed and then murmured a sheepish, "Yeah."

"May I?" Harry asked, stepping closer and indicating the beautiful wings the Veela carried.

Draco looked startled for a moment, before nodding his consent.

Stepping even closer to the blond, Harry tentatively reached out a hand and allowed the tip of his fingers to run along the closest wing. His gasp of delight at the softness of the feathers was echoed by Draco's gasp of pleasure as his mate touched him.

"Did I hurt you?" Harry asked, snatching his hand away.

"No, that felt good," Draco replied, wishing the other boy would do it again.

Growing bolder, Harry reached out to more firmly stroke the wing, causing Draco to practically purr in happiness.

All too soon the wings melted back into the Veela's back, as he grew calm and content under the ministrations of his mate. Both boys sighed in disappointment. Sharing a glance, they began to snicker, and soon they were leaning on each other, laughing uproariously.

"So… how come you aren't asleep?" Draco asked, slinging an arm around Harry's shoulders.

"Probably the same reason you aren't," Harry said ruefully. "I can't get what happened this morning out of my mind. Every time I close my eyes, I can feel the hook of the Portkey and then I remember the fright of finding myself in an unfamiliar place. It doesn't exactly help that I keep flashing to that time when I found myself in a graveyard," he admitted somewhat reluctantly.

Draco's reply was to wrap his arms more securely around the brunet.

Harry hesitated for a moment, before wrapping his own arms around Draco, accepting the comfort the other boy was offering.

Eventually he began to fidget. The comfort and the pleasant feelings it brought with it were good and fine, up to a point. Harry was still not comfortable enough to just let the moment to drag on, and he cast his mind about trying to think of something to say or do.

It was as his gaze travelled over one of the steamer trunks that he was hit with an idea, and he pulled away from Draco to better see his reactions to his suggestion. "I know!" he said excitedly, "what we need is a distraction, and I know just the thing!"

"Oh?" Draco asked, intrigued. When Harry grabbed his wrist and began to tow him to the bedroom, he couldn't help but start to get excited. Did Harry have in mind what Draco thought he had in mind?

His excitement turned to disappointment with a touch of curiosity when Harry, instead of heading for the bed, pushed the sleeve of his t-shirt up and removed an armband. It didn't look like Harry was in the mood for some snogging. Biting back his sigh of disappointment, he couldn't help but smile at the eager look Harry gave him just as he threw the armband on the floor.

When the armband contorted and changed into a trunk, Draco inadvertently took several steps backward. Was that…? Did Harry really expect him to climb in there? Apparently, because Harry threw the lid open, and without even one backward glance, climbed inside, clearly expecting Draco to follow.

Hesitating briefly, Draco was not sure what to do. Should he call his father for help? Should he command Harry to get the hell out of there? Opening his mind to do just that, he suddenly remembered the library he had passed on his wild dash to find Harry and that clinched it. Pushing his rolling emotions to the side, Draco climbed inside, willing himself to give Harry a chance to explain what he was up to. Draco could always drag his mate out of there and confiscate the armband if he didn't like the answer.

"What took you so long?" Harry asked, giving the blond boy a searching look.

Draco just shook his head. Was Harry really this dense, or was he just pretending to be this stupid? "What is this?" Draco asked, throwing his arms out to encompass his surroundings.

"This is my super secret library," Harry replied with a slight smirk, grabbing hold of Draco's wrist once more and towing him to where the library was situated.

Draco reluctantly followed the brunet, unable to suppress a shudder as memories of his mad dash assaulted him. Feeling the tremors, Harry turned around and gave him a concerned look. "Hey, are you okay?" he asked, getting worried.

"I'll be fine," Draco murmured, doing his best to suppress another shiver. "Why are we here? This is the trunk, isn't it?"

Harry looked blankly at Draco, then he smacked himself on the forehead. "How stupid can you get? Brilliant! Well done, Potter!" he muttered to himself, starting to pace. "Here you want to help him, and you invoke even worse nightmares than the one we just lived through. Great! Juuust great!"

"Harry, calm down," Draco ordered, taking hold of the furiously pacing and muttering boy. "Why did you bring me here?"

"I wanted to show you the books I got from the Black library," Harry muttered, sounding miserable and unable to look at Draco.

"You have them in there?" Draco asked, momentarily forgetting where he was.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I know how eager you've been to explore the Black Manor, and I figured this could do for now. I… I'm sorry. I didn't think. We can leave and do something else," Harry murmured quietly, already heading towards the exit.

"No," Draco said decisively. "I refuse to let a bad memory scare me away. Especially since this is important to you. Could you just… could you just promise me to never come down here unless I, or someone I trust, is with you?" he asked a little hesitantly, not wanting to outright forbid Harry to come down here, but not willing to allow him to come here on his own.

"Don't worry, love," Harry smiled tenderly, reaching up to cup Draco's cheek. "I've already promised your father."

"You have? When?" Draco asked startled.

Harry shrugged, not particularly interested in the subject. "The other day. You were in the bathroom, I think."

Draco mentally promised himself to have a little chat with his father, but allowed the matter to be dropped for now. "So, mind if I go inside and have a look around?" he asked, his earlier enthusiasm at the thought of exploring the Black library back with a vengeance.

Harry chuckled. "Be my guest. But before you disappear among the books, would you mind reading something? I'd like your opinion before showing it to McGonagall."

"I'd love to," Draco said eagerly, happy that Harry valued his input that much. "Why do I have a feeling that this will be something Dumbledore will live to regret?" he asked, rubbing his hands together in delight.

"Because he probably will?" Harry chuckled, casting an almost flirty look over his shoulder. Heading over to a table, he began to rummage around, looking for a certain scroll. Finding it, he picked it up and turned back to Draco. "You didn't think I'd forgotten what he did to our horses, did you? Or think that I had forgiven him for his meddling? I've just been biding my time, waiting for the right moment."

Draco chuckled. "This I've got to see! Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie," he added with almost childish petulance, practically tearing the scroll from Harry, and unrolling it eagerly.

Harry laughed, and turned his attention to the desktop and the research he had begun when he was last here. Not feeling in the mood to read more about Veelas at the moment, Harry walked over to the ledger and began looking for something to grab his interest.

HPDM

Draco eagerly scanned the proposition Harry had put together. Intrigued by the theories the brunet had put forth, the youth read the thing over once more, this time going much slower, almost savouring the contents of the scroll.

Coming to the end for the second time, Draco leaned back and considered the implications and the possibilities of Harry's proposal. It was simple, held endless possibilities, and would drive Dumbledore absolutely batty. It was perfect! Chuckling at the deviousness of his mate, Draco looked around, attempting to discern where he had gotten to.

"Do you like it?" Harry asked from behind Draco, causing the blond to jump. Scowling fiercly, Draco decided he didn't like how many times the other boy has startled him lately. A Malfoy was never startled or surprise, for that matter.

"You don't like it," Harry said, disheartened, misunderstanding the reason for Draco's scowl.

Draco considered holding the brunet in suspense, but in the end he couldn't. "Are you kidding? This is great! I can't wait to try it out! What do you think I should get? A snake? But that is so cliché, somehow. What do you think of a dragon? But then, dragon breeding is forbidden. Then again, this isn't exactly breeding, is it?" Draco mused to himself, momentarily getting sidetracked.

"You think McGonagall will go for it?"

"Are you kidding me? She will jump at an opportunity like this! You might not know it by looking at her, but McGonagall used to do a lot of research when she was younger and wasn't so swamped with responsibilities as she is now. Being the Head of House, not to mention Deputy Headmistress, has severely diminished the time available to her to do other things than school business.

"She's had loads of her papers published, and mostly in only the most prestigious of magazines. She also used to be invited to all the important conventions to give speeches and such. Trust me, she will jump at the chance of getting involved in all that again. She won't allow anyone get into her way, not even Dumbledore," Draco assured his mate.

"Wow, how do you know all that?" Harry asked, impressed.

Draco chuckled. "When it was time for me to begin school, Mum and Dad were fighting about whether to send me to Durmstrang or to Hogwarts. In an attempt to sway her, Dad did extensive research on all the teachers. A few summers ago, I got curious, and I looked up what he had found out. I couldn't understand why he didn't put up more of a fight since I knew he didn't exactly have positive memories from Hogwarts. Did you know that the Professors employed here is far more merited than those found at both Durmstrang and Beauxbatons?"

Harry grinned knowingly. "I bet you were hoping to find something you could use as blackmail," he said slyly.

Draco returned the grin, but did not comment.

"You really think I dare showing this to McGonagall then?" Harry asked, allowing the matter to drop.

"Yes," Draco replied simply. "Now that that is out of the way, do you mind me exploring the library?"

Harry smiled affectionately. "Not at all. The ledger is over there, on that pedestal. Why don't you ask it to show you the Potions section?"

"I think I will do just that," Draco nodded, heading off to where Harry had pointed.

* * *

**Next Time:**  
Harry and Draco have another confrontation with Ron.  
This time things really get out of hand.  
(For those of you who has impatiently waited to find out what Harry is,  
the revelation to that is in chapter 38. Not long now, wink.)  
Until Then… 


	37. The Loss of a Friendship

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

A BIG thank you to all you wonderful people who has reviewed my story.

Thank you Vaughn for being my Beta. Any mistakes left are my own.

* * *

**The Loss of a Friendship **

**Day 11: Thursday**

Draco Malfoy woke the next morning feeling extremely happy and content. Mindful not to wake up his mate, he snuggled closer to Harry and he tightened his grip on the brunet slightly. Last night had been a dream come true in more ways than one. To have Harry understand and accept his edginess was a godsend. The other boy had understood and done what he could to help Draco settle his Veela side, and hadn't merely sent him off to bed with strict orders to get some sleep. Instead, they had spent hours together in the library, allowing the Veela inside the blond to calm on its own in the soothing presence of his mate, while the human part of the blond had been ecstatic about the books he'd found in the library, settling that part down as well while reading up on a few interesting things. It had also given him a chance to build up new and better memories of being inside that dratted trunk.

Speaking of interesting things, he had found _the_ most intriguing potion, and it would be perfect to pay Pansy back with. All he needed now was to find a way to talk Severus into helping him make it, not to mention finding some Tiger Eye Orchids. Maybe there was still some growing in one of the Manor's greenhouses?

Draco's musings were cut short when Harry stretched lazily beside him. He watched with tenderness as green eyes blinked open and a small happy smile graced rosy red lips. "Morning," Harry murmured, burrowing down under the covers, clearly not ready to face a new day.

Moments later, the head popped up again. "Draco?" Harry asked with some confusion. The last thing he remembered was putting away the Time-Tuner after having used it to give the two of them a few hours to sleep before facing the new day. No matter how he strained his brain, he could not remember leaving the trunk or getting into bed.

"Morning, love." Draco grinned. "Thank you for one of the most interesting nights of my life."

As expected, the other boy promptly blushed a fierce red. Then the blond found himself whacked with a pillow. Laughing, he battled it away, giving his mate a mock scowl before launching a tickling attack.

Several minutes later, two winded boys lay panting and laughing on the rumpled bed. Draco was the one who regained control first, and he reluctantly climbed out of the bed. Oh, how he wished he could stay and do other things to have Harry withering against him in ways that utterly strained his self-control. Only the knowledge that his mate wasn't ready for that level of intimacy enabled the Veela to put some space between them. He could wish though, right?

"Come on, lazybones, it is time to get up," he stated regretfully, pulling ineffectively on a foot in an attempt to get Harry to do something besides just laying there, looking delectable.

"You go ahead, I'm still tired. I'm going back to sleep," Harry stated, rolling over on his side, curling up into a ball, pulling the covers back over him.

Draco blinked. "You can't still be tired!" he exclaimed when it became obvious that Harry meant what he had just said.

"Why not? We didn't leave the library until six o'clock this morning!" Harry complained, curling up deeper under the covers, leaving only a tuft of dark hair visible.

"That was before you used the Time-Turner!" Draco stated sternly, grabbing hold of a corner of the bedding, attempting to pull it off his mate, the way his father had always done to him the times he had tried to remain in bed as a child. Unfortunately, he didn't get the same results as his father, or Harry had a stronger grip than him, because all that happened was that he ended up in a fruitless tug-of-war, which Harry was winning.

Harry just snorted, still buried under the bedding. Then he sighed and emerged enough to look at Draco with sleepy eyes. "What happened after I put the Time-Turner away? For some reason, I can't remember a thing."

Draco snorted. "I'm not surprised; you put the Turner away, and then you walked over to the sofa and just crashed. I don't think I have ever seen anyone fall asleep that quickly. Being the considerate boyfriend that I am, I carried you outside and put you to bed."

"Thank you, Draco. That was indeed considerate of you. Sorry for falling asleep on you like that. In fact, I'm about to do it again. I'll see you when I wake up next," Harry said, putting his head back on the pillow, covering himself up with the bedding once more.

Rolling his eyes in exasperation, Draco decided to change tacks. Settling on the edge of bed and patting the lump he figured was Harry's shoulder, he said, "Come on, love, why don't you want to get up? And don't give me that crap about being too tired," he added warningly.

Harry sighed. "I just don't want to, okay?" he replied with some exasperation, hoping against hope that the blond would let the matter drop. He wasn't that fortunate.

"But why not? It isn't like you to behave like this," Draco persisted, beginning to get worried.

Harry threw the cover down so he could glare at the other boy. "I don't want to face the bullshit the _Daily Prophet_ is likely to publish about me; there, happy now? I'm going back to sleep!" he all but snarled, pulling the covers back over his head.

"Language, Harry," an amused voice came from the doorway, and Draco quickly looked up to see his father lounging against the doorjamb.

"Eh, good morning, Father, this isn't what it looks like," Draco stammered out, worried that his father would put the wards back up. It was one thing to comfort his mate when he had a nightmare, and an entirely different thing to sleep with him without such pressures. But then, yesterday hadn't exactly been the norm, so maybe his father would let it slide. Besides, it wasn't like he was forcing himself on Harry.

"It looks to me that you're having trouble getting Harry out of bed this morning," Lucius said with a chuckle, causing his son to blush. "Want a hand?" he asked teasingly, pushing away from the doorjamb.

Draco shrugged. "I've already tried."

Lucius stepped up to the bed, taking hold of a corner of the bedding with practised ease, and pulled, baring the huddled brunet beneath them. Draco sent his father a glowering look; he'd have to ask how he _did_ that.

Lucius just smirked, knowing fully well how much it infuriated his son when he did that to him.

"Hello? I'm trying to sleep here. Call me a coward, I don't care, I'm not about to put up with whatever crap is about to hit the fan. If you are that eager to find out, you head down for breakfast," Harry complained, having given up on getting the covers back and simply burying his head under the pillow in hopes of being left alone.

It looked like he was destined to be disappointed this morning. Draco simply grabbed hold of him and threw him over his shoulder, ignoring the indignant squeak coming from Harry, and carried him into the bathroom. Without as much as a by your leave, the blond dumped his reluctant mate into the shower and turned the water on, jumping out of the way of the water's sprays. He then quickly left the bathroom altogether; he figured it was only prudent if the language used was anything to go by. It wasn't as if he had used cold water, he wasn't that suicidal! Besides, he much preferred facing any retributions fully dressed and in the company of his father.

Half an hour later, a wide awake and fully dressed Harry Potter entered the living room. To express his intense displeasure, he was dressed totally in black, not realising his choice of colour was setting off his pale complexion and his startling green eyes, causing Draco to drool at the alluring sight.

Giving the other youth a dark look, Harry stalked out of the suite and headed down for breakfast; he might as well get this over and done with since his original plan of spending the day in bed had been thoroughly derailed. It didn't help his mood one bit that Draco was walking beside him alternating between snickering and sighing lustfully.

Still, it was with some trepidation that Harry entered the Great Hall. He just _knew_ Rita Skeeter would have had a field day with the Josy debacle, writing Merlin knew what, blowing the whole thing out of proportion and ending up encouraging other crackpots to take their best shot at the Boy Who Lived. And Draco wondered why he preferred to stay in bed?

Sighing softly, Harry steered his steps to his now usual place at the Gryffindor table when he suddenly froze. Taking a second, more close look around the Great Hall, Harry couldn't help but chuckle. Sitting spread out at the Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff tables were several students dressed in leather. They hadn't gone so far as to remove their school robes -- apparently, they weren't prepared to challenge Dumbledore's authority by going that far -- but the robes hung studiously open, displaying the leather vests underneath. You couldn't really see if they were dressed in leather trousers as well, but Harry was prepared to bet that they were.

Suddenly feeling a lot lighter, Harry continued on his way to eat breakfast, the wide grin on his face telling everyone what he thought of the show of support his fellow students had displayed.

He wasn't stupid, he knew fully well what the sudden change in dress meant, especially after Mrs. Weasley's Howler the previous day. They were showing their faith in him, and that they couldn't care less what people like Molly Weasley thought. Swallowing down the lump that suddenly had formed in his throat, Harry got his feet moving again, making his way over to the table to sit opposite of Neville.

Still grinning like a loon, Harry greeted his fellow Gryffindor with a soft 'Morning'.

"Someone seems to be in a good mood," Neville chuckled, watching as Harry grabbed a stack of toast and began to butter them, generously giving half to Draco, who nodded his thanks, doing his best to hide his shock and delight in the simple gesture that spoke such volumes. "And you, who didn't want to come down for breakfast," he said teasingly, nudging Harry with his elbow.

Some of Harry's glow dimmed, and he sent Draco a withering look. "Don't think I have forgiven you, Draco Malfoy," he said, putting his nose in the air. "Now stop putting a damper on my good mood." With that, he turned back to his breakfast, ignoring everyone and everything but the food.

Neville lifted an eyebrow. "Didn't want to come down for breakfast?" he echoed. "Why ever not? You can't be worried about getting more Portkeys, I'm sure Dumbledore has seen to that by now."

"Nah, that wasn't it," Draco explained, enjoying the way Harry was pretending to snub him. The bond between them told him that the other boy wasn't serious, so he could take the antics in the spirit they were meant. "This big baby over here didn't want to find out what the _Daily Prophet_ has made of the happenings yesterday."

"I don't blame you, Harry. Skeeter can be vicious if she wants to. Unfortunately, she almost always wants to," Neville sighed.

Draco nodded his head in agreement. He knew all too well what type of woman the so-called reporter was. There was a reason she got along so well with the public Malfoys. Not wanting to think of his actions of their fourth year, Draco applied himself to his food as well, biting with relish into the toast his mate had prepared for him.

Their meal was eaten in silence until the mail arrived. Harry's shoulders tensed minutely, but otherwise there was no visual proof of his discomfort. Same as the day before, several Howlers were delivered, but Harry merely put them on fire. It was the second stack that had him worried, and he refused even to look at it once the owls had left. Instead, he watched Draco from the corner of his eye, wanting to have some forewarning of what the paper had written.

"I don't believe it. I fucking don't believe it!" Draco groused, throwing down the paper in disgust.

Lifting an eyebrow in surprise, since that was not quite the reaction he'd expected, Harry picked up the paper and quickly scanned the headline.

_Boy-Who-Lived Kidnapped by Designer's Aunt._

_by Rita Skeeter._

Feeling his eyebrows climb even more, Harry turned to the article to see just where Skeeter was going with this.

_Yesterday morning, Harry Potter, also known as The-Boy-Who-Lived, was opening his mail in the Great Hall while eating his breakfast when suddenly he was whisked away from Hogwarts by a Portkey. Understandably, his boyfriend, one Draco Malfoy, who also is a half-Veela, became frantic and a rescue team was swiftly put together to rescue our Hero._

_The mastermind of the kidnapping turned out to be a Josandra Tiller, the widow of the world renowned Charms Master Gerome Tiller. The reason for her kidnapping Harry Potter was that she wanted his help concerning her nephew, Ambrose Tiller, who has followed his uncle's footsteps and become a Charms Master as well. As it turns out, he is also a fashion designer in his spare time, but so far no one has shown any interest in his ideas, and Josandra Tiller was hoping young Harry Potter would be able to give her nephew some pointers on how to make shop-owners interested. As you readers probably remember, it was revealed just the other day that The-Boy-Who-Lived is the designer of the leather clothes he has taken to wearing lately._

_Having seen the outfits Ambrose Tiller has designed for his aunt, this reporter sought out the aspiring designer in hopes for an interview. As it turns out, young Ambrose is a charming young man who has a real talent for fashion. He was only too happy to share a few of his ideas with me, and I must say it is a crime that the ones responsible for fashion in wizarding Britain have disregarded this young genius. _

_For a more indepth interview of Ambrose Tiller and his designs, see page 3._

"Do you realise what this means?" Draco asked lividly once Harry had finished reading. "This means that anyone wanting to become someone is going to try and kidnap Harry in hopes of making a name for themselves. I cannot believe that cow did this, I'll have her head!"

"And you called me a baby because I didn't want to read that drivel?" Harry teased. He then grew serious and sighed heavily. He knew Draco was right. That had been his reaction as well when he read the article. Wasn't it enough that he had Voldemort and his Death Eaters after him, would he now have to look over his shoulder expecting to see crackpots there as well?

Then again, no one had ever said that Voldemort and his merry men were sane. And the Dark Lord _had_ promised to back off until Christmas. That should give him some peace and quiet until Halloween, at least on that front. That meant that he only had to worry about the crackpots for the time being, and if he didn't open any mail, and if he always kept the Malfoys close… then he only would have to worry about the reactions of the school, and that was old hat by now. But that still didn't mean he had forgiven Rita Skeeter! Or that dotty old Aunt Josy Tiller!

True, he had been toying with the idea of having Lucius discreetly look into the nephew and see if he was worth helping. But this? This was... this was unbelievable. If his life had been difficult before, it was going to be more so now, with every crackpot and their uncle after him in hopes of furthering their own career. Never had he been so happy to have the Malfoys at his side as he was now. He doubted Dumbledore would do anything to try to stop this catastrophe. He would probably just pat him on the head, offer him a lemon drop, and say something inane like, 'I'm sure it's not going to be so bad'. Or, 'I'm sure it will pass soon, try not to worry about it.' The git!

"There isn't much we can do at the moment, so I suppose we better head off to class," Harry said, getting to his feet.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it though!" Draco complained, climbing to his feet as well. Glaring balefully at the innocent looking stack of mail, he swept it up and stalked across the Hall, dumping it beside his father's plate for him to deal with. He had no desire to know what those letters contained. Returning to his mate's side, the two left, ignoring the whispers from the other students.

It didn't do much to lift Harry's mood though, and he was distracted the entire morning, having a hard time paying attention in his classes. It didn't help his temper any that the rest of the school was still acting crazy around him. Girls were dressed in their most provocative clothes, and so heavily painted that an American Indian would have been impressed, and so drenched in their favourite perfumes that they caused Harry to sneeze until his nose was red and tears streamed from his eyes.

The male students were a bit more restrained, but they too did their best to attract Harry's attention. Added to that was the gossipers who were hounding them for the juicy titbits of yesterday's adventure, and Harry was quickly developing a blistering headache. A glance at his companion told the brunet that Draco was about to hex the next person coming close to them to the Dark Ages.

Then there were the ones dressed in leather. Harry felt that he couldn't just ignore them as he did with the rest of the student body who was trying to catch his attention. A few might have bought the clothes because they liked the design, but for them to put them on today of all days… No, he couldn't just ignore them, much to the annoyance of Draco.

"Hello, Harry. Draco," Theodore Nott greeted the brunet warmly, but was noticeably colder towards the Veela.

"Hello, Theo." Draco nodded in greeting while Harry just gave the boy a smile.

"I hope you don't mind me wearing your design, Harry," Theodore asked with a sultry smile.

Harry ignored the attempt to flirt and replied to the voiced question. "Not at all. After all, I gave Sean permission to sell it to his other customers. I'm just surprised your parents allowed you to visit such a place," Harry said with a puzzled air, realising that Nott couldn't have gone to the shop in person.

Theodore laughed, causing Draco to gnash his teeth. "Nah, Mum would have Hippogriffs if I set foot in the Seven Sins. To tell you the truth, I didn't think my parents would allow me to wear leather either, but when she heard about the Howler from Mrs. Weasley, she was livid, and then she read the article in the _Daily Prophet_, and the next thing I knew, I received a special delivery…" Theo shrugged. "I wasn't about to complain, now was I?"

Harry chuckled. "Of course, not. Only a Hufflepuff would do that, and we all know that you are no Hufflepuff."

"You've got that right." Theo nodded, pushing his chest out.

Draco rolled his eyes and grabbed hold of Harry's arm. "Sorry, Nott, but we better get going or we'll be late for class," he said, walking off and pulling Harry with him.

"You realise half the school will rush off and buy that damned leather now, don't you?" he hissed at Harry, dragging his mate down the corridor. "Did you have to talk to Nott? Did you _have_ to laugh at what he said? By Salazar, all those gold diggers will think there is a chance to catch your attention now! I can't believe you!"

"What was I suppose to do?" Harry asked, a little annoyed; Merlin, but the Veela had a firm grip. "Shove him aside? Ignore him? He made an effort to show his support, Draco. I had to acknowledge that! Even if it encouraged the entire bloody world to try and come on to us, I could not ignore him!"

"I know," Draco sighed, loosening the firm grip he had on his mate's arm slightly. "I know, but until those knuckleheads realise that you are mine, life will be hell. They will take even the smallest thing you do and turn it into an opportunity to get close to you, and I…"

"Draco, I don't like the attention anymore than you do," Harry said, putting a soothing hand on the blond's shoulder. "Keep that in mind, okay? I find that I like you. I don't want anyone of them, I want… I want you," he said shyly, looking down at the floor, unable to even glance at the other boy, and blushing hotly.

"Oh, Harry," Draco murmured, a warm glow filling his entire body. Acting on impulse, he pulled Harry into a brief yet strong hug. Letting the other go, he glanced at the time and cursed. "There is no way we will get to class on time now," he snarled, taking off down the corridor.

HPDM

When the bell rang for lunch, the two boys shared a glance and a nod, and used Harry's invisibility cloak to sneak back to their rooms, both in agreement that they were in desperate need of a break and the kitchens just weren't safe enough.

"What made you bring the cloak to class?" Draco asked, pulling it off them once they were safe inside their private rooms.

Harry collapsed onto a couch with a groan. "I just knew today would be horrible. Maybe next time you'll allow me to remain in bed," he groused, giving Draco a dark look. Then he relented, seeing how disgruntled and discontented the Veela looked, and he patted the seat next to him invitingly.

Draco gave him a grateful look and collapsed next to his mate. Reaching up to massage the bridge of his nose, he groaned, "The next time I might actually listen to you. Has the entire school gone mad? The next person coming close to us stinking with perfume is _so_ going to regret it!"

"Too bad there isn't a bog of eternal stench around here where we could dump them," Harry mused.

"A bog of what?" Draco asked startled, giving Harry an incredulous look.

"Oh, nothing." Harry waived the question aside.

"We don't have a bog, but we do have the lake. What do you say about dropping a few students into the lake?" Draco asked with a wistful look on his face.

"Don't you think the Merpeople would object to having their lake contaminated?" Harry asked, finding himself actually considering the idea.

"Humph, serves them right, the little menaces," Draco snorted, not caring one whit about the ones living at the bottom of the lake. He had still not forgiven them for the incident in 1022.

Harry just laughed and snapped his fingers, summoning one of the house-elves. He wasn't particularly hungry, but knew he'd need something in his stomach if he was to face the rest of the day.

HPDM

Unfortunately, the tranquillity of their simple lunch didn't last once they left their quarters, and Harry could feel the soup and sandwiches churn in his stomach, threatening to make a second appearance. Things just could not go on like this, something had to be done, or he would be driven absolutely loco before Halloween!

Harry's spirits didn't lift until he entered the Forbidden Arts classroom and saw Professor Sprout waiting for them at the front of the room.

"Right then, settle down, class, and bring out your homework. I will walk around the classroom and judge your work, and then we will proceed to today's lecture." The professor was practically bouncing up and down, reminding Harry of an eager kid.

Reaching into his bag, Harry pulled out a box and placed it on the desk. Opening it, he took out three small objects wrapped in cloth. Beside him, Draco was doing the same.

"Excellent! Five points to both Gryffindor and Slytherin, you two took precautions to make sure your sculptures weren't damaged. After all, I haven't had a chance to tell you yet how to protect the surface from wear and tear. Wood is a soft material and can easily be scruffed up if you aren't careful," Sprout said in his professor's voice, addressing the class.

Harry and Draco shared a grin and proceeded to unwrap their treasures, restoring them to their natural sizes.

The professor had returned to the front of the class and began at the left hand corner, incidentally starting with Ron and Hermione. Picking up the first piece of art, Harry had to fight to hold back a snicker. Poor Ron; whatever he was, a sculptor he was not. He had attempted to create an image of Crookshanks, but only one who was very familiar with the cat could tell what it was. It reminded Harry a good deal of Draco's first attempt at sculpturing, actually. The redhead's other two attempts, a sculpture of Hermione – at least Harry figured it was supposed to be Hermione, he couldn't see his friend allowing Ron use anyone else as a model – and an apple – the apple was almost recognizable – were just as sad.

Surprisingly enough, Hermione's attempt wasn't much better, which caused Harry to blink. He had yet to encounter a subject Hermione hadn't mastered. Well, beside Divination, and Harry had always felt that was more because of the teacher than a lack of interest in the subject.

She had also tried to create a sculpture of Crookshanks, as well as a Hippogriff, and Hogwarts. Harry was forced to bite back a second snicker. He knew the castle wasn't exactly square, but Hermione's attempt looked like an extremely drunk architect had done the blueprints.

Professor Sprout was kind to them though, and awarded them a few points for their attempts. The sad thing was, Harry discovered, that out of a class of fifteen students, only five had managed to create something half-way decent. Then Sprout came to him, and Draco and Harry just knew he would lose Ron and Hermione as friends after this class.

Sprout picked up the first of Draco's creations, a Hungarian Horntail. It was standing on its hind legs, breathing fire, and Harry _knew_ the image was from his first task in the Triwizard Tournament. The professor gushed over it for several minutes, remarking on the richness of details. He was just as happy with Draco's second attempt, an elegantly decorated bowl filled with different fruits. His third log had been turned into a sculpture of Severus Snape. The Potions Master was hard at work in front of the cauldron, in the process of adding something while stirring the potion. His fierce concentration and the hidden joy at what he was doing was captured exquisitely. Sprout lectured for almost five minutes over that one, pointing out the details and the need to know your subject well if you wish to capture it in its glory.

Then came Harry's turn. The sphere won him a lot of praise, especially for originality. He had cut a thin slice from the block left over from when he created the globe, and from it, he had created a stand for the sphere. It was a flat, not particularly large disc, and from it rose several tendrils that spiralled upwards, creating a cradle for the sphere to rest in. Harry had been rather pleased with that one and, apparently, so was Sprout as well.

Next came his own dragon figure. He had used Norbert as a model. Remembering the baby dragon, Harry had done his best to recreate what it looked like when it was first born. His last figure was of Draco, flying flat out on his broom, chasing the Snitch, a grim look of concentration on his face, his cloak billowing out behind him. A thin stalk shooting up from a flat disk held the flyer, showing off how perfectly balanced the sculpture was, enhancing the illusion that the figure really was flying through the air.

Each piece earned them twenty-five points, and it was two happy students that did their best to focus on the following lecture. This class was _fun_.

HPDM

"My, my, my, if it isn't the high and mighty Harry Potter," Ron spat angrily, confronting the two in the corridor as soon as the class was out. "Alleged kidnap victim, fashion designer, and now a star of the Forgotten Arts. Whatever will you be doing next? Huh? Does it feel good to have a subject that you can lord over the rest of us? Does it make you feel more loved and worshiped by the masses?" Ron asked snidely.

"What is it you want, Weasley?" Harry asked tiredly, noting absentmindedly that the confrontation was gathering quite a crowd of onlookers. Ten to one, this mess was going to be plastered all over the _Daily Prophet_ tomorrow. He so did not need this right now, but he should have known the redhead wouldn't leave things alone.

"Want? Me? Why ever would I want something from you, Potter? After all, whatever have you to offer? Nothing! You don't mind helping perfect strangers, but you can't help your best friends. Some friend you turned out to be, Harry Potter."

"And when, exactly, haven't I helped my friends?" Harry asked, getting an edge in his voice. This was going too far.

"And what the hell did you mean by alleged kidnapping?" Draco demanded, not satisfied with staying out of this. Harry was hurting, and it would be a cold day in the nine hells before he left his mate to fend for himself.

"Ron, I don't think this is a good idea," Hermione said, tugging urgently on Ron's arm. She had been forced to listen to her boyfriend rant and rave the entire morning, but things were getting out of hand, and she didn't like it. She had a feeling things were about to get ugly and she wanted no part of that. Unfortunately, she couldn't just abandon Ron to Harry and Draco. To make matters worse, they were garnering quite a crowd. She wanted to confront Harry as well, but not in front of witnesses. Witnesses would only make it more difficult for her to talk her and Ron out of trouble, and could seriously mess up their chances at staying in the Headmaster's good graces. She could not afford to lose his support as well.

"Oh please, Malfoy! As if what happened yesterday wasn't staged to give Harry here more sympathy. Holing up in the hospital wing afterwards was a clever touch, I give you that. Making everyone wonder and worry about you while all the time Potter was as right as rain. I bet you were laughing at us the entire time, weren't you, Potter?" Ron demanded, poking his finger hard into Harry's chest.

Getting angry, Harry grabbed the offending finger and twisted, electing a howl of pain from Ron. "I don't know what the hell happened to you, Ronald Weasley, but whatever your problem is, don't take it out on me. If you have a problem, deal with it! If it is sexual, I'm sure you can get Hermione to put out for you." He didn't care at the moment that he was being crude. He had had enough. Enough of listening to Ron moon about Hermione. Enough of Hermione complaining about Ron not asking her out, or being romantic enough to suit her. Tired of getting the blame when things weren't working out between the two after they sort of got together. Tired of having to apologise for existing, for not doing things the way Ron and Hermione demanded he do them. At the moment he had no idea why he even became friends with them. Draco had, in the two weeks they had been together, been a better friend to him than Ron and Hermione had during their five years together. That was telling, not to mention frightening.

"Harry!" Hermione gasped, scandalised, not believing her ears, glancing uneasily around at the avid listening group of students.

"How dare you, you measly faggot!" Ron roared, raising his wand and shouting a hex Harry was unable to dodge in time, earning himself several angry hisses and boos from the crowd. Several of the original DA members that had gathered around them pulled out their wands, fingering them in a manner that told that they would not allow anymore harm to come to Harry.

Harry didn't cry out, but he did put free his hand to his bloodied nose, angry at himself that he hadn't realised Ron already had drawn his wand before the confrontation began, hiding the fact in a fold of his robe. "Is that the best you can do? My Muggle uncle punches harder than that," Harry said slowly, his eyes like green ice.

Ron just readied his wand again, but the hex froze on his lips as two wands suddenly were aimed at his face, never noticing the ones at his back and sides, but Hermione did, and she belatedly pulled her own wand. She hated it sometimes when she was right; it would be difficult to talk her and Ron out of this one.

"Did you really think I'd give you a second shot, Weasel?" Draco sneered. "I thought you three were friends. It looks like I was mistaken. Know this; you two are now on my list. Do not come near Harry again, you will not like the consequences if you do. I know more hexes and far worse curses than you do so Do. Not. Tempt. Me."

"Yeah, right, as if you'd ever do anything to us," Ron stated smugly. "For one thing, Harry won't let you. And for..."

"Why should I stop him?" Harry broke in, starting to feel a bit dizzy but doing his best to hide it. His face was aching something fiercely, and all he wanted was to find someplace soft and curl up and sleep for a week. However, he wasn't about to give Ron the satisfaction of knowing that.

"What?" Ron gasped in outrage. "Of course you'd stop him!"

"Why should I?" Harry asked again, getting thoroughly annoyed.

"See? This was what I was talking about, Harry," Hermione said a bit sadly, turning slightly so she was addressing the crowd as well. Maybe she could do some damage control. "They are turning you away from your true friends, leaving you no one but the Malfoys. You're even threatening your own friends."

Harry sighed, biting back a moan of pain. "Tell me, Hermione, who was it that started this confrontation? Who was it that spewed forth a lot of poisonous accusations? Who threw the first hex?"

"I know Ron cast the first hex, but that's just Ron. You know he has a hot temper, Harry, you _know_ that." Hermione demanded, turning her full attention to the brunet. Harry wasn't about to do something stupid, was he?

"So that makes it alright?" Draco asked incredulously. "Just because Weasley has a hot temper he can't control, it's alright for him to hex people, even his friends? Some defence you've got there, Weasel. I'll have to remember that the next time I get into trouble. 'I'm sorry, Professor, I don't know what came over me. But it is alright, it was just my hot temper that got out of control there for a moment.'

"'Ah, is that what happened, Mr. Malfoy. Then it is all right. Move along now before you're late for your next class', " Draco simpered, doing a fairly good impression of Professor McGonagall, earning himself a lot of laughter and snickers from the onlookers.

Harry snorted a laugh as well, unable to keep back his amusement at Draco's antics. His two ex-friends were not amused, however, and Ron sent the blond a curse they'd been practising in DA the previous year. Eyes widening in disbelief and then anger, Harry quickly conjured a block of wood, sending it into the path of the spell, intercepting it. "And you accused the Slytherins for wanting to use the DA to learn spells to use on us. This has gone far enough_Petrificus Totalis_!"Harry roared, petrifying Ron, who fell to the ground with a thud.

"Harry?" Draco asked in concern; he had never seen his mate this angry. Around them, DA members muttered angrily among themselves, and non-members looked uneasy, unnerved by the reactions by those who clearly knew what the spell the redhead had used did.

"And you! Why didn't you stop him? You _know_ what that spell does!" Harry shouted, rounding on Hermione.

"Harry, calm down, he didn't mean it," Hermione said, attempting to soothe Harry, only succeeding in making him more angry.

"Didn't mean it? Didn't mean it? He cast the spell, didn't he? How can you _not_ mean casting a spell, huh?"

"What is going on here?" a silky voice asked. Turning around, Harry and Draco saw Lucius coming towards them, easily forming a path through the ring of gathered students.

"Weasley cast _Sleep of the Dead_ on Draco," Harry answered, looking down on the boy he had just petrified. "We learned it in DA last year. I thought it would be an effective spell to use if we ever ended up fighting Death Eaters. Figures none of us remembered it at the Department of Mystery debacle. I don't feel too good," he added, when a strong wave of dizziness hit him, causing him to sway unsteadily.

Draco forgot all about Weasley and jumped forward to take some of Harry's weight. How could he have forgotten that Harry was hurt? He should have ended this long before, but Weasley had gotten him so _mad._

"Draco, why don't you take Harry to the hospital wing? I shall escort Miss Granger and her friend to the Headmaster, and I will join you as soon as I can," Lucius said, taking charge of the situation, easily dispersing the crowd with a glowering look. He might not be Severus with his 'Snape Death' glares, but the students obeyed him quickly and silently, and soon he was alone in the corridor with only Granger and the still petrified Weasley.

Draco nodded and began leading Harry down the corridor. At the moment he couldn't care less about the two troublemakers, all that mattered was Harry and getting him well again.

"What was that spell the Weasel cast at me?" Draco asked, more to ensure that Harry stayed conscious than any real desire to know. "I don't think I've ever heard of it."

"You probably haven't," Harry sighed tiredly; Merlin, but his face hurt. "It is a very old Healing spell. I think it was invented a hundred years or so after Hogwarts was built. It is designed to mimic the effects of the Draught of Living Death, which is why the spell is called _Sleep of the Dead_.

"Anyway, the spell was designed to put a seriously ill patient into a deep healing sleep. Only, the spell doesn't work."

"So it wouldn't have put me to sleep? Then why did you get so angry if the spell is a dud?" Draco wanted to know.

"Because the spell isn't a dud. Just extremely unreliable," Harry sighed, leaning a little more heavily on Draco. "No one knows why. A few of the most reputable Masters have tried to fix it, and all have failed. You see," Harry elaborated when he realised that Draco had no idea what he was talking about, "a few of the patients the spell was used on would indeed fall into a deep healing sleep. They would wake up a couple of days later, much improved. But other patients would fall into a deep sleep that lasted for weeks, months, and some never woke up, ending up sleeping their entire life away. Nothing the Healers tried could wake them up until the spell had run its course.

"But that wasn't the only effect the spell had. Most subjected to the spell would wake up, healthy, with the same magical powers they had when they went to sleep. A few woke up with double, even triple the amount of magic that they had when they fell asleep, but most woke up Squibs. A few regained their magic with time, while others never got their magic back."

"And you were going to use that spell on the Death Eaters?" Draco asked, aghast, suddenly realising the danger his father had been in.

Harry shrugged, not about to repent an action he hadn't committed yet. "Yes," he said simply. "I figured that if the situation was that dire and desperate, it was better for the DA members to cast the _Sleep of the Dead_ rather than _Avada Kedavra_. And no, I haven't taught the DA how to cast that one," Harry chuckled weakly. "I figured it was better to be able to walk away and fight another day, without being sent to Azkaban, than use less dangerous spells and risk getting killed. Dead people are of no use to anyone."

Harry sighed. "There is also the benefit that no shield can stop it. At least not to my knowledge, and the only way to stop it is to put something solid, nonliving in its way, which is why I used that block of wood.

"Besides, the spell is fairly complicated to use, and it drains you quite a bit, so it isn't anything you would throw out in a childish skirmish. Trust me, I made it abundantly clear to all the DA members the dangers of that spell, and told them only to use it in life or death situations, and if I found out that they had used the spell carelessly, I would come after them and make their lives hell. Ron knew fully well what he was doing, and I can't _believe_ Hermione was making up a feeble excuse like that," Harry said, feeling almost more betrayed by the witch's actions than Ron's.

Draco was also fuming, but he held his tongue since they had arrived at the infirmary. He would make sure that Ronald Weasley was very sorry for even _thinking_ of casting that spell. He would be delighted in making the redhead's life completely miserable! Maybe he should use that potion he'd found last night on the Weasel instead of Parkinson, as he had first planned.

HPDM

Hermione was forced to almost run to keep up with the elder Malfoy as he swept down the corridors, heading towards the headmaster's office, levitating Ron before him. She had no idea when things had gotten so out of hand, or what to do now to fix things. Harry was angry with them, and honestly, she couldn't fault him. He was stressed as it was, having to deal with the Malfoys around the clock, he didn't need the extra stain. Ron's anger had not helped the situation any, and her attempts to reach her friend had been ignored or sabotaged.

Feeling close to tears, Hermione stepped past the Gargoyle and rode the stairs upward in silence. For once, she had no idea how to resolve the situation she found herself in. In the past, things had been so simple, she was faced with a problem and whatever solution needed could easily be found in a book. Unfortunately, none of her books had informed her how to extract a friend from the evil clutches of a persistent Veela. And now this! She so did not need this right now. How the hell was she supposed to get Ron and herself out of this mess? If only Ron had kept his cool, he should have realised that there wasn't much they could do with half the bloody school watching their every move!

Dashing the back of her hand across her eyes, Hermione forced herself to focus as Malfoy released Ron from the spell holding him frozen.

"I will leave you to deal with these two, Headmaster, I need to get back to the hospital wing and check on Harry. Apparently, his friends saw it necessary to hex him, not to mention that they attempted to curse my son," Lucius said, giving the two teens very dark and disapproving looks before sweeping out of the office.

"A lemon drop?" Albus asked, gesturing for the children to sit down. He knew it was a risk to offer the damn things, but he needed a sense of normality, since going by the look on Lord Malfoy's face, he did not want to know what had happened.

"No, thank you, sir," Hermione said a bit timidly, while Ron just shook his head in negative.

"Now then, care to tell me what that was all about?" Dumbledore asked mildly, popping a sweet into his mouth, sending up a thought of thanks, as it was a non-tampered candy he'd picked.

"Hey! It was all Harry's fault!" Ron protested angrily, shifting forward in his seat, practically glaring at the Headmaster.

"Ron!" Hermione hissed; they needed a cool head, not a hot temper, if they were to get out of this one.

"What? It was! You saw him! Sitting there, sniggering and making fun of our efforts in Forgotten Arts. As if he is so clever because he can form things out of wood! And the entire thing yesterday, don't tell me you weren't worried sick about him, only to have him waltz into that DA meeting as if nothing had happened!" Ron snapped, glaring daggers at Hermione.

Dumbledore sighed and looked down on his hands, which lay folded upon his desktop. As he had beginning to fear, urging the two to take the Forgotten Arts class had backfired, and done so badly. "I take it you do not enjoy that particular class?" he asked, forcing himself to sound concerned.

"No, we don't!" Ron snorted. "And even less so when Potter and Malfoy lord how great they are over the class. Even the teacher spends most of his time gushing over them. I bet you that it isn't even Potter who makes those pieces. I bet you it is all a plot orchestrated by the Malfoys to stoke his ego."

"Is that why you found it necessary to hex your friend?"

"Harry is no friend of mine! Not anymore!" Ron snorted, ignoring the cry from Hermione. Looking the Headmaster in the eye, he continued, "Do you know what Harry did this summer while he was at the Headquarters? Do you? He spent what little time we were allowed together ignoring me. Ignoring us," he amended with a glance at his girlfriend. "Instead of hanging out playing chess or talking Quidditch, or planning ways to get back at Malfoy, he spent all his time in the library, no doubt reading about the Dark Arts. On top of that, he could give my brothers thousands of Galleons, but he couldn't bother to give me a few so I could ask Hermione out properly.

"The entire summer everyone has been tiptoeing around him, treating him as if he was made out of spun glass. Because of him we had to spend almost the entire summer inside the Burrow! We couldn't even go and fly as we always do! I mean, he wasn't even there! But I didn't complain because I figured things would get back to normal once school began. Once the first of September came around, I'd get my friend back. Did I? Nooo. Instead we are told that that Ferret is a Veela! Malfoy stole my best friend away, and I am sick and tired of being 'supportive'. I want my friend back. I want Harry to come back to the tower. He never liked Malfoy before, so why the hell is he picking _him_ over us! Can you tell me that? Huh? Can you? He's even given up playing Quidditch for that slimy snake! Harry loves playing Seeker! I'm certain Malfoy is behind that decision. He knows we have no chance winning the cup this year unless Harry is on the team. Which he isn't! And guess who's fault _that_ is?"

Dumbledore shook his head sadly and cast a calming spell on the teen wandlessly. Out of all of Molly's children, it looked like Ronald had inherited her temperament. "Is that why you cursed young Draco?" he asked once the youth had regained his normal facial colour.

Ron merely shrugged. "Yeah, I tried to hit him with the _Sleep of the Dead_. I figured that if the Ferret was out of the way for a few days, we might have a chance to talk some sense into that thick-headed skull of his."

"Oh Ron," Hermione sighed. She had been shocked and stunned at the things she'd been told. She knew Ron had been angry with Harry for the way he'd been acting during the summer, but she had no idea he blamed Harry for the restrictions that had been placed upon them. No wonder he'd been so irrational lately.

Dumbledore was reeling from shock as well. He knew Ron had a quick temper and a streak of jealousy a mile wide, but he couldn't believe Molly hadn't explained the danger they had been in or that the restrictions were due to the many close calls there had been with attempts of retaliation from Riddle and his followers. He really needed to talk to her about her compulsion to keep her children ignorant. If only she had agreed to stay at the HQ like last summer. Instead, she had insisted her children needed some normalcy and had stubbornly stayed at the Burrow. Now look at the mess they had on their hands. Maybe all this could have been avoided if only Ron had understood what was going on. Sighing deeply, he turned to the business at hand. He needed to do something to make the boy understand the severity of the situation, or Lucius Malfoy would do it for him, without hesitation.

"I'm sorry to hear that you feel that way, Ronald. The reason you were kept indoors most of the summer were because of the Death Eater attacks launched on your family. No less than five attempts at retribution were thwarted at the last moment. Harry had nothing to do with that.

"As for the curse you sent at young Malfoy... If you had hit him, the consequences had been a bit more severe than a few days of sleep. I'm sorry, but I will have to duct fifty points from Gryffindor and give you detention for a week, starting tonight. Report to Hagrid at seven o'clock. Dismissed."

"But Headmaster...!"

"Dismissed," Dumbledore repeated, giving the redhead a hard and disapproving look.

Ron growled but rose from his chair, helped by the hand clamped around his bicep.

Once he was alone in his office, Albus sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. He would write a note to Professor Sprout, informing him of the loss of two of his pupils. He would let Minerva tell the teens that they no longer needed to take that class. Nothing but more strife would come out of it. And he had had such high hopes that Ron and Hermione would do much of his work for him when it came to influencing Harry. It looked like he would have to come up with a new plan. Perhaps he could pressure Severus into modifying young Harry's thinking. There wasn't much love between the two, but since the Potions Master was Draco's godfather...

Getting up from his chair, Albus left his office and headed for the hospital wing. He supposed he would have to make an appearance and inquire about their young saviour's health. And tell the Malfoys about Weasley's punishment.

* * *

**Next Time:**  
Well, the truth will be out there. Next Monday, grin.  
Until Then… 


	38. Don’t Hate Me

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

A BIG thank you to all you wonderful people who has reviewed my story.

Thank you Vaughn for being my Beta. Any mistakes left are my own.

* * *

**Don't Hate Me**

"Mr. Potter! What happened this time?" Poppy asked, swooping down on them the moment they entered the hospital wing.

"A Bludger hex. I didn't think the idiot was going to hurt me, so I wasn't prepared. This is the only shot he gets though. Next time I will retaliate and I don't think he'll like what I plan to do," Harry replied darkly.

"What I want to know is why you stopped me from hexing that little twit! He had no right to do what he did! Besides, it is my right as your mate to defend you when you are attacked, and you, my friend, were attacked! You're lucky he didn't do worse damage than breaking your bloody nose! He could have _killed_ you!" Draco seethed, halfway out of the ward to find the little Weasel, not caring much about the danger he himself had been in.

"Draco, calm down. If you hex him to a slug, the blame will find its way to us. If we do nothing, the blame cannot be put on us. If there is a next time, however, I promise you may do with him what you wish," Harry said tiredly, accepting the smoking goblet Poppy handed to him. "Besides, with half the school watching that deplorable scene, the entire school will know about this before the end of the day. Ten to one, this will end up in the _Daily Prophet_. This way, no blame can be placed on us; instead, we should earn a lot of sympathy if Skeeter, for once in her miserable life, does the right thing, that is," Harry allowed, looking down into the goblet and shuddered.

"I want you to lie down and get some rest. Your nose was indeed broken, and there is a hairline fracture to the cheekbone. I want to keep an eye on you to make sure it heals properly. I also want to make sure there is no damage to your eyes. You were extremely fortunate that none of the glass ended up in your eyes, or that the frame didn't do worse damage than it did when it were destroyed," Pomfrey said, eyeing the bloody scratches his smashed glasses had left behind. "Well, what are you waiting for? Drink up before it gets cold," Poppy scolded gently.

"How is he, Poppy?" Lucius asked, sweeping through the doors and heading to where Harry was standing.

"I'm fine, sir, just a bit dizzy. That Bludger didn't do too much damage," Harry replied tiredly. He swirled the goblet between his fingers before sighing deeply once more. There was no way in hell he dared to drink this down. But knowing the nurse as well as he did, he knew there was no way around her. Snapping his fingers, he summoned a house-elf and asked it to go and get Severus Snape.

"Didn't do too much damage?" Poppy repeated, swelling up very much like a bullfrog. "Didn't do too much damage? That hex broke your nose, young man, and was powerful enough to cause a hairline fracture of your right cheekbone! You're damned lucky your eyes weren't affected! A bit more power behind that hex and you could have ended up blind! Now get into that bed and drink that potion before it gets cold!" Poppy demanded, hands on her hips, the picture of stubborn righteousness.

Lucius had been watching Harry while Poppy argued with him. The boy looked exhausted and extremely ill, but what really had him worried was the 'sir'. It was clear this whole episode had affected the boy severely. It made him even more furious with the youngest male Weasley. The boy was supposed to be a friend, for Salazar's sake! Why had he done this? Why had he attacked Harry like that? He almost wished he had stayed to listen to their explanations, but his need to be near his son and his mate had been stronger than his need to find out what was going on. Besides, he trusted Severus to manage filtering out the details.

Returning his focus on Harry, he was concerned to see that he wasn't taking his potion. The pain he was in had to be bad. Casting about his mind for an explanation, he suddenly remembered his reactions to the Calming Draught that idiot of a Healer had forced on him yesterday. Did the boy know more than he let on about his magical inheritance? He really needed to get Mercury started on researching the Evans' magical background.

"Harry? Child? Is there something wrong with the potion?" Lucius asked, walking up to the boy's side.

"Humph! As if! I brew the potions used in this hospital wing. Or are you doubting my abilities? Severus asked darkly, stalking to where Harry was leaning against one of the beds.

"What happened to you this time, Potter? You look like death warmed over. Why aren't you in bed? And why didn't you drink that potion before it grew cold? It's useless now," Severus scolded, grasping the boy's chin with a surprisingly gentle hand, tilting the head up and to the side to get a better look at the damage.

"That is what we are trying to figure out, Severus. If you would kindly stop meddling in things that do not concern you!" Poppy huffed, attempting to shoulder the Potions Master out of the way. She hated it when he swept into her domain, taking over as if _he_ was the one educated as a Healer and not her. Lifting her wand, she prepared to cast a second diagnostic spell, one designed to check a patient more deeply than the surface one she'd used when Potter was first brought to her ward. Her only focus then had been to find out where the problem was and how bad it was. Now though, she had time to do a little more in-depth checking.

Harry gave her a dark look and stepped to the side, keeping the Potions Master between himself and the nurse, causing the spell to hit Snape instead, earning himself a dark glower from Pomfrey, while Severus gave the nurse a scathing look and a biting remark as to watch where she was aiming her wand.

Poppy was not about to be deterred and took a step to the side so Harry once more was in her sight. Quickly she sent her spell, only to see it rebounded on the shield Harry had erected, sending the spell back at her. Unable to react in time, Poppy could do nothing but stare as a parchment appeared in thin air, listing her medical condition down to the paper cut she had given herself earlier in the day.

Draco quickly turned around and did his best to hide his snickers in his father's side; the strict nurse would probably never forgive him if he laughed her in her face.

Severus pointedly ignored the nurse, although on the inside he too was snickering; served the busybody right to be caught in her own spell for once. Instead he kept his main focus on the youth before him. For Harry to so bluntly disrespect authority, it had to be something very big or very serious he was trying to protect. If this had been last year, he would have cast the spell himself to see what the boy was hiding. However, this wasn't last year, and he had too much respect for the brat to do that to him. "Harry?" he asked with concern, earning himself a weak smile.

"I'm fine, sir, but I need to talk to you. Not here though, somewhere private," Harry replied tiredly in a low voice, a warm feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. They cared about him. All three of them, even the adults, they honest to god cared about him, not only Draco, who had planted himself at his side and refused to budge an inch ever since they had arrived in the infirmary.

"This has something to do with your reaction to the Calming Draught, doesn't it?" Lucius asked, watching Harry closely all the while keeping an eye on Poppy to make sure she couldn't send that spell at Harry once more.

Harry merely nodded. "This place isn't secure enough. We need to find a place where we won't be overheard."

"I will take full responsibility for him, Poppy. Don't worry," Severus assured the upset nurse and went to scoop Harry up into his arms. "Come with me, we will continue this in my rooms," he murmured to his two fellow Slytherins, swooping out of the hospital wing, leaving a spluttering nurse behind.

When the Headmaster walked in fifteen minutes later, he was met with a fuming nurse and an empty hospital wing.

"I take it young Harry wasn't as badly hurt as we feared?" he asked amusedly, figuring Draco had insisted in taking his mate back to their rooms.

"Humph! I wish! No, that dratted boy refused to drink the potion I gave him. Before I could corner him, Severus arrived! Albus, this time he's gone too far! He took Harry out of here, without my permission! The boy was still untreated, for Merlin's sake! I know you put a lot of faith in Severus, but let's face it. _I_ am the one will medical training, not him! He has no right interfering like this!" Poppy cried, incensed.

"I'm sure he had a very good reason for acting like he did, but if it makes you feel better, I will go and talk to him. You are correct, after all, you are the school nurse, not him. But Severus has always felt responsible for those he cares about, as you well know."

Poppy merely snorted, not appeased in the least. "You do that, and make sure to bring Harry back here after your talk. I didn't even get a chance to examine him properly," she complained.

Albus frowned at this. He had hoped a full medical scan would give him the answers he needed when it came to the child's inheritance. So far no signs of any new powers had manifested, unless you counted the boy's temper. Sighing softly, he left the infirmary and made his way to the boys' private rooms.

HPDM

Using the back corridors, the group managed to make it to the dungeons unseen. The fact that most of the students and staff were in the Great Hall eating helped ensure they went by unnoticed.

Settling Harry on a couch, Severus sat beside him, his sensitive fingers carefully examining the damage area.

"Child?" Lucius asked softly from behind Severus, wrapping an arm around his son's shoulders in an attempt to give support.

"I didn't want anyone to find out. Not until I knew more myself, but I guess it is too late for that now. Stupid Ron!" the brunet muttered in aside. Taking a deep breath, moaning softly at the pain, Harry allowed the glamour he'd worn since before his birthday to drop.

Three gasps caused him to flinch, and he dropped his face, allowing his long hair to shelter him from the rejection he was expecting.

"I _knew_ your scent wasn't fully human," Lucius said excitedly. "This is wonderful, Harry, why are you ashamed?"

Harry pulled up his knees and wrapped his arms around them. "Who wants a freak?" he asked softly.

Draco gasped and pulled away from his father, pushing Severus out of the way. Sitting next to his distraught mate, he gently put his arms around him and just held him. "You are _not_ a freak! You are the most beautiful being I've ever seen! And that was _before_ you dropped the glamour! Now I found you even more stunning! I am going to find those Muggles and I am going to hex the living daylights out of them! The freak stuff, that is _them_ talking. It isn't Father. It isn't Severus. And it isn't me. And Harry, love? It never _will_ be me. I love you, all of you. You are so beautiful to me, and I wish I could show you how lovely and delicious you are. But all I can do is tell you, and I am going to still tell you when we are old and grey," Draco said fiercely, willing with all his heart that his words were getting through.

He was startled when two arms wrapped around him and squeezed him hard. The next thing he knew, his mate was crying against him. Crying and moaning in pain. He looked helplessly to his father for guidance. He couldn't stand the thought of his mate being in pain.

Lucius came out of his shock when he saw the pleading look his son sent him, and felt the despair and pain both of them radiated. Changing the couch to a divan, he settled carefully on Harry's other side and added his own arms around the distraught teen. No, child. This was a small, vulnerable child.

"Loveling, what Draco said is the truth. You are _not_ a freak, and you certainly aren't ugly either. You have to be one of the most beautiful beings I've ever seen. You can't beat Severus though", he added, earning himself a glare from his son and twin snorts from his mate and Harry. It was followed by a soft moan.

"Can't you do anything for him?" he asked the Potion Master, realising why the boy had refused the potion earlier. Harry was no longer fully human and he had to be careful what potions he took from now on. He had spoken the truth though, when he had said the child had become even more desirable.

Midnight coloured hair cascaded down his shoulders, and Lucius was prepared to bet it reached down to the teen's waist. Pale skin the colour of alabaster that seemed to almost glow with an inner light. Green, green eyes and a pair of delicate pointed ears were peeking out of the sleek mass of hair. The boy had indeed become a thing of beauty. If the rest of the school ever found out, they would lust after the youth.

Then he snorted mentally. Half the blasted school was lusting after the boy as it was, but so far they had, for the most part, kept their distance, content with trying to catch the boy's attention. If they ever found out that Harry was part Elf, they would no longer be satisfied with keeping their distance. Their pursuit would be much more aggressive, the more ambitious ones would probably try to kill his son to eliminate the most obvious competition, thinking it would make it easier for them to claim the price for themselves, not caring whether Harry wanted to be with them or not.

Oh yes. If Harry Potter had been a sought after price as the Boy-Who-Lived, he'd doubled that by being part Elf. No one had seen a High Elf for centuries, and to have one -- even if it was a half-blood -- in their midst, things could turn very ugly, very quickly. Thank Circe and Salazar the boy had had enough sense to hide this from the meddling old fool. Lucius had no doubt whatsoever that the Headmaster would find a way to exploit the fact that Harry Potter was part Elf. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but wonder where that inheritance came from. He _really_ needed to get his solicitor to look into the boy's family tree.

Severus had been studying Harry as well, trying to remember what he'd read about Elves. Stepping closer, he placed a hand on the only visible temple and whispered a sleeping spell. Harry succumbed immediately and Draco grew frantic.

"Don't worry, Dragon. He is merely asleep. I don't have any potions that I can give him, and I don't dare try any of the common Healing spells. The best thing we can do for him is to allow him to sleep and let his own body deal with the damage," Severus explained, helping his godson move Harry more comfortably on the divan.

"Salazar, what a mess! I'm going to start brewing the Sanastosia Potion tonight, we might have to leave here and hide at the Manor if things turn ugly. I hope that it won't come to that, but it is better to be prepared for the worst. Circe! No wonder he couldn't learn Occlumency last year. His brain was unable to form the necessary defences, it was preparing itself for his sixteenth birthday! He was wide open for attack and I only made things worse! I can only hope the poor boy can forgive me one day," Severus said sadly, stroking a hand through the soft black hair.

"I know he will, Sev," Draco said softly, giving the older man a sad yet encouraging smile. "He's forgiven me, hasn't he?"

"Yes, he has. He is quite a remarkable young man, isn't he?" Severus mused. Straightening up, he ordered lunch for the three of them. While they ate they prepared the cover story for why Harry hadn't taken the requested potion. In the end, it was quite easy to explain; the Potters were known for their quirks, and one of them were the tendency to develop an allergy for some of the more common potion ingredients. Harry had developed this allergy, and he didn't dare take any potions until he knew for sure it was safe. He was too bashful though, to tell Poppy himself, and he was afraid someone would overhear them discussing this and using the knowledge against him in a prank.

It was harder to come up with a reason as to why he had avoided the scan, and in the end they decided on Lucius using his charm to avoid that issue all together.

When Lucius explained it all to the nurse, her anger melted away and she chuckled about boys and their weird modesty. She readily agreed to keep this new knowledge to herself and even offered to let the Headmaster know not to feed Harry any potions unless she or Severus had okayed it. She was so amused by Harry's bashfulness she utterly forgot to ask about why he avoided the diagnostic scan.

It was a smirking blond who returned to the dungeons and his worrying son.

HPDM

Dumbledore left the hospital wing and paused once the doors closed behind him. Where would the prickly Potions Master have taken Harry? Since both Malfoys had been present, it would seem logical that they had taken Harry to their private rooms... And that meant another confrontation with Slytherin. Biting back a sigh, the Headmaster made his way to the Veela's suite.

"Greetings, old man. What brings you to this part of the castle?" Salazar called cheerfully as soon as he laid eyes on the aged wizard. "Got bored terrorising children, or were you in the mood for a good game of wits?"

Dumbledore glowered darkly at the founder. How he wished he could set the thing on fire. Unfortunately, experience had taught him that that was a very bad idea. A _very_ bad idea. The castle had not forgiven him for months when he'd tried that as a young professor.

"No, Salazar, I came to check in on young Harry and to have a word with Severus. I take it they are here?"

"Of course they are," Salazar scoffed. "Where else would they be? Unfortunately, they have been too busy to put up any paintings inside. Add to that the little fact that Lord Malfoy left strict instructions not to bother them, I'm afraid that all I can offer you is to leave a message."

"Nonsense! I am the Headmaster of this school and I cannot be banned from my students. Not even you have the power to do so. Now open this door immediately!" Dumbledore demanded, feeling the first tendrils of fury shoot through him. One of these days, Salazar would push him too far, and the consequences be damned!

"Normally, you would be correct in your statement, Headmaster. However, you forget. This is not one of the dorms. This is the rooms of a Veela and his as of yet unbonded mate. The school rules do not apply to them. If they have stated a wish to be left alone, no one is to bother them. Not even you, Headmaster. Try and force your way inside and you risk ending up in Azkaban for a minimum of six months. More if your presence is deemed as dangerous to the pair. Do you still intend to insist you are given access?"

Dumbledore growled. No matter how much it galled him, he knew Salazar Slytherin was correct. For once he could not use his status to get his own way and he was not about to risk being removed from this school. Too much was at stake to dare risking pushing the Malfoys too far. Cursing under his breath, Albus turned away from the smug looking portrait and started making his way back to his office. This was becoming intolerable. And to think he had thought it a good idea when he found out Harry was Draco's mate. If anything, his life was turning into a gigantic headache. Just because Harry now decided it was a good idea to become stubborn and wilful.

Turning around, Albus stalked back to the painting. "Could you please tell Lucius Malfoy that I wish to speak with him at his earliest convenience?" he asked with as much politeness as he could muster, which, in truth, wasn't much.

"But of course, sir. As soon as I see the gentleman in question, I will give him your message." Salazar smiled broadly, knowing very well how thin the other man's patience was growing, and there was nothing he could do about it. _Serves him right for trying to get rid of my portrait the way he did. The castle might have forgiven him, but neither of us have forgotten. I think it is time to remind that old meddler that people have a will of their own, and though Albus Dumbledore might be many things, a god is not one of them._

Waiting until he was certain Dumbledore had left and wasn't about to come back, Salazar left his painting and made his way down to the dungeons. He'd had no qualms about lying to the Headmaster. As he had told him many times before, as one of the founders, he was under no obligation to obey Dumbledore the way most of the portraits in the school were forced to do. He had taken a liking to young Potter, and he knew there was little love between the two at the moment. If Harry had been hurt, then the last thing he needed was to spar with stubborn old men.

HPDM

"Hah! I thought I'd find you lot here," Salazar stated cheerfully, stepping into the Potions Master's private rooms. "Bumbles popped by your suite earlier, asking for the lad. I told him you were all inside and had left word not to be disturbed. He expressed his wish to talk to Lord Malfoy, so whenever you have the time, be a good boy and pop by, will you? I don't like that old boy and have no wish to see him twice in the same day."

Draco bit back a laugh. The more time he spent with the Founder, the more he liked him.

Severus lifted an elegant eyebrow. "I wasn't aware the portraits were able to lie to the Headmaster."

"Most of them can't, since they are tied into the castle's defences. But I am one of the founders, and my tie to the castle is different. My powers might be limited from what they once were, but I am under no obligation to obey Albus Dumbledore."

"I see," Lucius murmured. He was pleased to find they had such a powerful ally on their side. How typical of Harry to get one of the founders on his side. He would have to ask the boy how that came about one of these days. Turning his attention back to Slytherin, he asked, "You wouldn't happen to know what happened in the Headmaster's office earlier today when he took to task the two students who attacked Harry and Draco, would you?"

"Of course I do. That is why it took me so long to come down here. I stopped by and had a chat with Hogwarts first to find out what was going on. As always, dear old Dumbledore was a bit short on details when he came by and issued his orders."

Severus and Lucius blinked.

"So what happened to the Weasel?" Draco demanded.

Instead of answering verbally, Salazar played out the memory Hogwarts had showed him, showing the entire confrontation from the moment Lucius had swept into the office, until the two children had been dismissed.

"Is that all he did?" Lucius asked fuming. "The punishment for casting such a curse as the _Sleep of Death_ is a month's suspension. I can't believe he's _still_ coddling the Gryffindors! Hasn't he learned _anything_?"

"I guess not," Severus drawled. "My guess is that he doesn't want to offend Molly Weasley anymore than he has to. That family is one of his strongest supporters. If they were to turn their back on him, he would lose a lot of support among the masses. The Weasleys might be blood traitors, but they are still Purebloods, and they have a very strong reputation of only supporting the Light," he continued.

"Maybe so, but still! It wasn't just a Slytherin he attacked, that boy also attacked Harry Potter. The light of the Light side," Lucius seethed.

"Yes, and who has dared to appear in the paper wearing leather. A tasteful outfit, but still leather. Molly is not pleased with the boy at the moment."

"I don't care! If Harry had chosen to dress like a streetwalker, Molly Weasley's son still had no right attacking him unprovoked like that. I think it is time I and the Headmaster made a few things clear between us. That reminds me, how soon will you have enough of that potion?"

Severus tilted his head to the side as he made his calculations. "I need to make four more batches if I am to fill up the old Prefect's bath. I figured we'd want to do this at the same time," he said in aside, giving Lucius a look. "That will take me a few days. Today is Thursday, I figured we'd start our fast on Tuesday. Do the cleansing ritual on Friday – I will have to cancel my classes that day, but that is a small price to pay. After soaking in the potion, Harry can then remove the Dark Mark on Saturday morning, giving us the rest of the weekend to recover in case there are any unforeseen problems."

Lucius considered what he'd been told, tapping an index finger against his lower lip. "Sounds good. Between us we should be able to hold off Dumbledore that long." He nodded. "In the meantime, I better go and see what he wanted, and to make sure he won't come near Harry until he is ready to face the world again. I might as well talk to Poppy while I'm at it. We don't need her on our backs either."

"Very well. I'll be in my lab in case you need me. Draco should be able to keep an eye on Harry." Severus agreed, getting onto his feet. Things were moving faster than he felt comfortable with, but he was nothing if adaptable. Besides, the sooner they were free, the sooner he and Lucius could bond with each other. Suppressing a shiver of delight, he briskly walked into his lab, his mind already focused on the upcoming brewing.

Lucius and Draco watched him leave, both wearing an indulgent smile on their faces.

HPDM

"Lucius, come in. I've been expecting you," Dumbledore called out merrily as soon as the gargoyle informed him he had a visitor.

Lucius ignored the greeting and swept regally into the office. "Salazar conveyed your message," he stated, settling into the chair that had been conjured for him. "I take it you wish to inform me that the brat has been suspended?"

Albus blanched slightly. He should have known Lucius would demand that punishment; still, he had hoped the aristocrat would be satisfied with the punishment he had already given out. "Don't you think that is a bit harsh, Lucius? After all, no one was seriously injured," he said mildly.

"Thanks to Harry's quick reflexes," Lucius said, not prepared to back down. He then remembered belatedly that he wasn't supposed to know what the punishment was. Sighing, he asked, "Very well, what punishment _did_ you give that hot-headed menace?"

"Fifty points were deducted, and young Ronald was given a week's worth of detention," Albus happily answered, hoping against hope that Malfoy would be satisfied with that.

"Humph! Not much of a punishment, is it? Not considering the curse he cast on my son. But I suppose I can be generous, considering that Harry was there to save the day." Lucius leaned back in his chair and considered his options. "Very well, I will not insist on suspending the boy. I do, however, demand that his Prefect Badge is taken away from him. The way he has been behaving is not how a Prefect should behave, don't you agree?"

Dumbledore bit back a groan. This was not going the way he wanted it to. To make things worse, Malfoy was correct in his assessment and Albus knew it. "If I take away the badge from Ronald Weasley, the rift between him and Harry will never be healed. I'm afraid young Ron will put the blame of the loss on Harry. Do you really wish for that to happen?" he asked nevertheless, angling for some sympathy. He did not want to tell Molly of Ron's disgrace. The explosion would be phenomenal and extremely unpleasant.

Lucius merely lifted an eyebrow. "Do you really think that I will allow that boy anywhere near my son or my charge if I can help it? I am very familiar with the Weasley temper, and unless that boy learns there are consequences for losing it, he will become a very dangerous man. Do you wish _that_ on your conscience?

"Besides, what kind of message will that send to the children who saw the confrontation? I'm sure you don't wish to encourage the kind of behaviour Ronald Weasley displayed towards Harry and my son. Especially since Harry isn't a Slytherin. Or have the times changed that much?" Lucius asked with a soft purr.

Dumbledore sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Having to battle with both Salazar Slytherin and Lucius Malfoy in the same day was more than any man should have to endure. "I value every student just as much, no matter what House they are sorted into," he said reproachfully, giving his former student a wounded look.

"My mistake, Headmaster," Lucius said with an insincere smile, both men knowing the truth of Dumbledore's statement. "Be as it may, you still need to send a stronger message to the student body. Considering the ambition of some of the students present at the school, how long do you think it will be otherwise, before they decide to take matters into their own hands? If Ronald Weasley can get away with such behaviour, putting the blame on his hot temper, how long before others follow his example? If that was to happen, I would be forced to remove my son from this establishment for fear for his life. I know many would share my concerns…" Lucius allowed his voice to trail off, knowing the Headmaster would read into it as the threat it was. Albus Dumbledore might not like the Slytherins, but he wasn't about to lose most of them, and that is what would happen if Lucius Malfoy went out and voiced his concern for his heir's health if he remained at Hogwarts. Half of the Ravenclaws would not hesitate to follow his example, and after them the Hufflepuffs would soon follow, leaving Dumbledore with a handful of Gryffindors…

Albus cringed. He was backed into a corner and he knew it. "Very well, I will inform Mr. Weasley of his loss as soon as classes are out for the day."

"Good," Lucius said briskly, getting up from his seat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to see the school nurse and then I need to return to my son. Don't expect either of the boys to return to classes before Monday." With that, the aristocrat swept out of the office, not giving Dumbledore a chance to question him further.

Albus sat back in his chair and sighed. Things could have gone worse; still, they could have gone much better. Sighing once more, he plopped a lemon drop into his mouth without thought and promptly choked. Ear wax. It was not tastier the second time around. Abandoning his sweets, he wrote a note to Minerva, asking her to bring Weasley to him. Now all he had to figure out was whom to give the badge to. No matter who it was, he would suffer greatly from Ron's temper. He supposed he should give it to Harry, he had shown his maturity time and time again, after all. However, he would be busy with the DA and not have much time for Prefect duties. Add to that the fact that he no longer lived in the dorms…

But the only other sixth year boy he could give it to was Neville, or possibly Dean, but neither boy deserved to be caught in the middle like this. Damn Lucius Malfoy to the seventh hell; this was all his fault, anyway!

* * *

**A/N**. Well, folks, the secret is out. (How many of you had guessed correctly?)

On popular demand, the sneak peaks will stay. So… for next week, Molly will make a visit to Hogwarts, and we will find out what she thinks of Ron's behaviour.  
Until Next Time…

Janara


	39. Unhappy Weasleys and Unexpected Allies

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter, but wouldn't it be neat if I did? Then there would be much more Lucius in the books, and we would get to know Severus and Draco better.

**A/N:** Wow! Double wow! 107 reviews! Talk about a record breaker! Thank you so much to all of you who reviewed, you people _rock_!

Thank you Vaughn for being my Beta. Any mistakes left are my own.

* * *

**Unhappy Weasleys and Unexpected Allies**

"What did Dumbledore want?" Hermione asked when Ron returned to the common room after his second trip to the Headmaster's office. She was hoping that the professor had decided to go easy on her boyfriend, but somehow she did not think that was the case.

Ron merely glared at her.

"Ron?"

Ron sighed but went to sit beside her, putting up a privacy screen, not wanting to be overheard. "What do you think he wanted, Hermione? That bastard took away my Prefect badge! Mum is going to skin me alive! And whose fault do you think it is that I lost that badge? Harry's! I can't believe he is turning his back on us like this! We've been at his side through thick and thin and this is how he repays us? I don't think so! I'm going to write the twins. Harry won't know what hit him once I'm through with him. Just you wait!"

"I can't believe Harry would demand your badge. He knows how proud you are of being a Prefect."

Ron snorted. "I bet you it was all Lucius Malfoy's idea, and these days what Malfoy wants, Malfoy gets."

"I still can't believe this is what Harry wants."

"Believe what you want, 'Mione. I know what I know. Harry has become a snake. The sooner you realise that, the better. He has turned his back on us. You heard him; he doesn't care any more. All he cares about is that Ferret. I wonder if he will be as fond of him after he's been turned into one for a week or two?"

"Ron! What are you going to do?" Hermione asked, getting a bit alarmed.

"I told you. I'm going to write the twins. They've got this new sweet… It isn't finished yet, but I bet they'll let me test it on Malfoy."

"Ron, don't do anything stupid. You are in enough trouble as it is," Hermione warned, trying to get him to change his mind.

Ron merely snorted. "I did not start this, 'Mione, but I can promise you that I will end it. Harry and Malfoy will regret the day they decided to mess with me!" He climbed to his feet, taking down the screen as he stood. Stalking up to the dorm, he was mentally reviewing the things he'd tell his brothers. He was sure they would side with him and help him out. They might like Harry, but he was their brother. Family always came first. Smirking, Ron lost himself in images of Draco as a furry Ferret, bouncing off the walls.

"What was that all about?" Ginny asked, plonking down next to Hermione.

The bushy haired girl sighed. "Ron just lost his Prefect Badge and he is blaming Harry. I'm worried, Gin, he said he was going to write the twins. Something about an untested candy he wanted to give to Draco."

"What? What in Merlin's name did he do that cost him his badge?" Ginny asked, getting worried as well. "I thought it was near impossible to lose your badge once it was given to you."

"No, not impossible. It just isn't very common since the ones chosen as Prefects normally are mature for their age."

"Then who the hell decided it was a good idea to give it to Ron?" Ginny demanded, all too aware of her brother's childish streak.

"I don't know," Hermione sighed.

"What exactly did he do?"

Hermione sighed a second time but figured the whole thing would be all over the school anyway, and told Ginny everything that had happened.

Ginny listened in silence, fuming more and more the further Hermione got. She couldn't believe that brother of hers. Rising to her feet, she too stalked to her dorm. She would write the twins as well, but unlike Ron, she would tell them _everything_. Then she was going to warn Harry and Draco, making sure they were aware of the danger they were in. _Then_ she would sit back and enjoy the show. Whatever Ron planned to dish out, she was positive Harry and Draco would return it tenfold.

Maybe she would write to their mother as well. She was, after all, their mother, and she deserved to know what was going on in her children's lives, right?

Hermione watched as Ginny disappeared into her dorm, a pensive frown on her face. Sighing deeply, she packed up her things, retreated to her own bed, pulled the curtains closed, and put up a ward or two to be on the safe side. She needed to think!

Things were not going according to plan, and it was all Harry's fault! That boy just couldn't do as he was told, could he? He was supposed to have come to her for help and assistance, help she magnanimity would have given him, subtly influencing him in the direction she wanted him to take.

Had Harry come to her? Nooo, he had preferred to take the word of a Malfoy over hers, his longtime friend. Well, Hermione wasn't about to take this sitting down! She was going to fight back. Besides, it was getting personal!

How dare Harry cost Ron his badge? The brunet _knew_ how much it meant to their friend. Not to mention that it was putting severe wrinkles in her own plans. Not many got the Prefect Badge, and for those who did get it, it effected affected all their future lives and careers in a very positive way. Knowing Ron, Hermione was well aware that that badge probably was the only ambitious thing he would achieve in his life.

For him to lose it… Hermione shuddered; it would affect his future all right only _not_ in a positive way! Such an embarrassment would hound him for the rest of his life, and it was something Hermione just could not allow. It would affect her future as well, damn it; hadn't Harry considered that when he demanded his revenge? She snorted. Of course not! This was Harry she was thinking about. He was a sweet boy, but utterly naïve and oblivious to the people around him. If anyone knew how easy the Boy Who Lived was to manipulate, it was her. As long as you were considered a friend, you held a ridiculous amount of power over the boy, only she was rapidly losing that status, wasn't she?

Hermione's eyes grew hard. This entire mess was Draco Malfoy's fault. Once more, the blond ferret was lording it over her, his 'pure' bloodlines, his money, and his stature in the wizarding world. Just because he had happened to be born a Malfoy. Well, she wasn't going to take it anymore from… that… she didn't have words to describe what she thought of Malfoy.

The first order of business was to find a way to distract Malfoy's attention away from Harry. It wouldn't be easy, but it was doable. And once Draco had turned his back on Harry, proving his true colours, Harry would be eager to come crawling back to where he belonged -- at Hermione's side -- where she could once more make sure he behaved in a proper manner, promoting her to a position where she could do the most good

The question was, how was she going to turn the Veela's unhealthy attention away from Harry?

Hermione lay down on her bed and stared up at the canopy. Allowing her mind to jump from thought to thought, doing nothing to try to dictate their wanderings, she waited for the answer to come to her.

And come it did. Sitting up with a gasp, Hermione grasped the elusive memory from one of the more obscure books she had read. It was a sketchy story of how a Veela had been tricked into mating with someone other than her mate when her true mate didn't want to bond with her. The mate's family had gone to a family who was desperate to form an alliance with the Veela family, arranging for one of their sons to impregnate the young Veela. Once she was pregnant, all her mating instincts had been transferred to the father of her child.

Hermione would have an easier time fixing things than that family had had. After all, all she needed was to find someone willing to carry Draco's child, and Hermione knew just the girl. Pansy Parkinson shouldn't be difficult to talk into helping her. The Slytherin would do anything to marry Malfoy.

Hermione shuddered at the thought of such a fate, but if that would make Parkinson happy, power to her. And since it would make Hermione happy, she could be gracious and help a fellow female out in her hour of need.

Having a plan, Hermione rushed from her bed and down to the library. She needed to discreetly research pregnancy potions and figure out a way to get the needed sample from Malfoy. Humming cheerfully, she made good time down the corridors. Once Harry was back where he belonged, he would insist that Ron got his badge back and everything would be as it should.

HPDM

**Day 11: Friday**

Most of the school had sat down to lunch when the doors to the Great Hall opened with a bang, and an extremely angry redheaded witch stormed inside. Setting her sights n the Gryffindor table, she marched up to it, her eyes never leaving her youngest son. Most of the Gryffindors and a good part of the Hufflepuffs all swore afterwards that there was steam coming out of Molly Weasley's ears by the time she stopped next to Ron.

"Ronald Weasley, What is this that I hear about you losing your Prefect Badge? How can you bring shame on the Weasley name like that? Not even the twins have managed to disgrace themselves in such a manner! Well? What have you to say for yourself, young man?" she demanded when all Ron could do was splutter helplessly.

When no answer seemed to be forthcoming, Molly reached out and grabbed the nearest ear. Ron yelped and came halfway out of his seat. His mother had always had a strong grip, and today it was fuelled by her righteous anger.

In an attempt to prevent the impending disaster, Dumbledore rose to his feet and quickly made his way to the unfortunate youth. "Why don't we take this discussion to my office?" he asked smoothly, not really giving the witch a chance to decline.

Huffing in annoyance, Molly nevertheless agreed and followed her former Headmaster out of the room, never letting go of her son's ear.

"Now then, what idiotic thing have you done now, Ronald? You knew how proud I was of you for getting that badge in the first place. I was hoping you'd follow in Percy's footsteps and become the Head Boy next year. You could have done it too, especially since Harry never made Prefect, but you had to go and ruin it all! What did you do? Some childish prank, I bet. I've told you and told you to stay away from the twins, but do you listen to me? Noooo. I'm just your mother. What do I know? Oh, Ron I'm so disappointed in you, as is your father. Just wait until you come home for Christmas. We will have a long talk with you, young man, you can count on it!" Molly was finally forced to take a breath, and Dumbledore saw his opportunity to get a word in.

"I'm afraid that it wasn't some childish prank that lost Ronald his badge, Molly. I was going to visit you and Arthur this weekend and explain to you what happened. Frankly, I'm surprised you already have found out about this unfortunate event."

"Ginny wrote me and told me what had happened," Molly said, all the while glowering darkly at Ron, who began to scowl at the thought of his sister going behind his back.

"I see. As I was saying, it was not a childish prank that lost Ronald his badge. He cast _Sleep_ _of_ _the Dead_ on young Draco Malfoy."

"So?" Molly asked blankly, looking at Dumbledore for the first time since she'd arrived at the office.

"So?" Albus echoed, nonplussed.

"Why would cost Ron his badge?"

"Molly, surely you see how serious such an action is?"

"To be frank? No, I don't. The Malfoys are good for nothing Death Eaters, the lot of them. You _know_ that, Albus. Why are you punishing my Ronald for doing something good?"

"First of all, Draco Malfoy is not a Death Eater. Secondly, he is a student at this school and I can not condone any student harming another student..."

"Hogwash!"

"And thirdly, young Draco is a Veela and Harry is his mate."

"Then it was doubly good of Ron to curse that boy! Don't you see what they are doing? They are just biding their time, and as soon as everyone has relaxed, they will turn Harry over to You-Know-Who!"

"Now, Molly, you know a Veela cannot harm his or her mate in any way, shape, or form. Draco is incapable of turning Harry over to Voldemort."

"He is a Malfoy, isn't he? I'm sure he will manage to find a way. Besides, how can you even be sure Harry really _is_ Malfoy's mate? How do you know it isn't some ruse to get their hands on Harry? He is, after all, Harry Potter, they'd say or do anything to get rid of him, or to turn him over to the Dark side. They can't be trusted, Albus. None of them can. Just look at Sirius. He was a Black, and no matter how much he proclaimed to be on the Light side, family and blood will always show, just as it will with Draco Malfoy."

Dumbledore looked at Molly Weasley and realised that he would never be able to convince her that the Malfoys were changing sides. That Harry being Draco's mate was not some Master Plan created by Voldemort to gain access to Potter to end the war. The righteousness was shining in her eyes, and nothing he said would dim its light. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighed. He needed the Weasleys. He needed Ron to help keep Harry in check. However, it would seem their greatest strength was only a hindrance when it came to putting his own plans into motion.

"If that is all, I expect you to return Ron's badge to him, and we'll forget all this ever happened," Molly said with finality. Getting ready to get up, she was astonished when Dumbledore, his voice laced heavily with regret, said, "No."

"No? What do you mean, no?"

"Ron broke the rules, and not in a matter where I can turn a blind eye. Besides, Lucius Malfoy knows what almost happened to his son, and he would never allow that transgression to go unpunished."

"Who cares about Lucius Malfoy! You are not punishing my baby in this way, Albus. I will not allow it!"

"Molly, there is nothing I can do. Normally, a student casting such a spell on another student is suspended for up to three months. I managed to convince Lord Malfoy not to push for that punishment, but I cannot prevent Ron from losing his Prefect status. I'm sorry, Molly, but there is nothing I can do."

"Humph! All you need is some backbone, Albus! Lucius Malfoy! He might be a Lord, but his name and reputation are tarnished beyond repair. Just tell him he has no say in how this school is run and he will be powerless to contradict you!"

"He still has a lot of power and you know it, Molly. Worse, he is within his rights to remove Draco from this school."

"Good riddance! Why would you want a student like him here anyway?" Molly cried out, not at all mollified.

"Because he would remove Harry as well, and that cannot be allowed," Dumbledore said gravely, hoping to shock some sense into the irate witch.

"Why ever not? At least then he won't be a danger to the other children. If you are so sure the Malfoys are no threat, why not allow them to take the boy away from here?"

"Molly, you don't mean that."

"You bet your last Knut I do! Have you seen him? Have you seen how he dresses nowadays? He is decked out in leather, Albus. _Leather_. I didn't say anything before because Harry's basically been a good kid, but he is a loose cannon. He is a danger to those around him. Just look what he dragged my children into, when he forced them to follow him to the Department of Mysteries. I've been waiting for you to rein him in, but you never have. Well, this time I'm putting my foot down. I will not have my children anywhere near him as long as he is behaving in this manner. Here is your chance to get rid of him before he kills someone. I suggest you take it, or I just might remove my children from Hogwarts. Think about _that_, why don't you? Come along, Ronald. I apologise for accusing you of misbehaving; had I'd know you were defending yourself against that rotten Malfoy, I would have sent you a gift or something. Such behaviour deserves a reward, not a punishment!"

"Now, Molly, I can't have you encouraging Ron with such behaviour..."

Molly rounded on the Headmaster and glared at him sternly. "You will just shush, Albus! Ron did the right thing and you know it! I will not remove my children from Hogwarts at this time, I need to go home and talk things over with Arthur first, but know this: I am most displeased with you and I expect you to make this up to Ron. If you cannot act decently and give him back the badge, you can at the very least make him Captain of the Quiddich team!"

"Now, Molly..." Dumbledore began, but Molly didn't listen. Instead, she swept out of the office, clearly expecting Ron to follow her. Ron looked between his mother and the Headmaster and then he quickly scuttled out after his mother. At least she understood what he had tried to do.

HPDM

Ron walked into the library feeling elated and irritated. He needed to find his sister, and she was nowhere to be found, this place was his last hope. If only he could have borrowed the map, that would have made his life much easier, but nooo. The map was gone and neither it nor the invisibility cloak was going to be of much use to him again, until Harry returned to the tower. Harry! Ron snorted in disgust. It was just typical of Harry to make things difficult, wasn't it? He only thought of himself, not caring one whit about others.

Heading deeper into the library, he finally located the mop of red hair he'd been looking for. Finally!

Walking up to the table where his sister was sitting and studying, Ron plonked down in a chair next to her and unceremoniously closed the book she was reading. Ignoring the indignant cry, he put up a Silencing Charm and leaned closer, just to make sure that no one could hear what they were saying.

"Do you mind?" Ginny asked crossly. She'd been studying for Potions and was not happy Ron had chosen now of all times to interrupt her.

"Knock it off, Gin. This is important!"

"So is Potions, you moron! Just because you couldn't get an O on your O.W.L.s doesn't-"

"I said knock it off, Gin! I've got a message from mum."

"Oh, and what does she want?" Ginny asked, refraining from rolling her eyes in annoyance. She had a fair idea what her mother had had to say and she wasn't sure she wanted to have her suspicions confirmed.

"She congratulated me on almost getting Malfoy with that curse. She's not happy with Harry for stopping me. By the way, she totally agrees with me that neither of the Malfoys are up to any good. She told me to keep a close eye on them and make sure to foil their plots. And she told me to tell you that we are to have nothing at all to do with Harry. And Gin? That means no more helping out with the DA. Harry is turning Dark, and we are not to have anything to do with that. Normally she'd tell us to try and sway Harry back towards the Light, but she agrees with me that Harry is far too gone for that to work. Instead, we are to keep our distance and make sure that as many people as possible are made aware of the situation, and make sure they stay away from Harry unless they too are sucked in by the Malfoys and tainted by their darkness."

This time Ginny rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ron, do you hear what it is you are saying? Can you not hear how utterly ridiculous it sounds? 'Tainted by their darkness'? 'Sway Harry back to the Light'? What are you going to do? Turn the entire school against Harry?"

"If that is what it takes," Ron said earnestly.

Ginny looked long and hard at her brother and sighed. The same gleam she'd often seen in her mother's eyes was now shining from her brother's. "What happened to you, Ron? Are you really prepared to throw away years of friendship just because Harry's been chosen by a Veela?"

Ron snorted. "Some friendship. I invest years of my life, and what do I get from it? Nothing! He could help the twins, but Merlin forbid he'd help me. Who is it that has risked their life countless times? Me! That's right, me! And when I need his help, does he gives it? Nooo. But he can shower the twins in Galleons without blinking. I'm tired of coming in second best. Harry is _my_ friend. Not the twins. Not Malfoys. Mine! But does he treat me like a friend? Does he share what he has? No. So screw him! The very fact that he hasn't shows that he's been Dark all along; he's just been fooling us to believe that he will save us one day. I bet you he's now laughing his ass off at us. But no more! I'm on to him now, and I will do everything it takes to expose him for the fraud he is!"

Ginny shook her head, wondering what on earth her mother had said to Ron to cause this level of delusion. Packing her things into her bag, she gathered the books she wanted to borrow and calmly removed the charm work. Looking Ron deep in the eyes in an attempt to covey her seriousness, she said, "I pity you, Ron. I pity you, because when all this is over, you will stand alone and no one will so much as touch you. Harry isn't Dark. He _has_ been a true friend, probably the only true friend you'll ever have. I hope you will wake up and smell the coffee before it is too late. I will not turn my back on Harry and I will not lift a finger to help you turn this school against him. On the contrary, I will do everything in my power to stop you. Feel free to tell Mum. I don't care." The last was said with false bravado. She did care. She loved her family dearly and she had always felt blessed with the knowledge that no matter what, they would always be there for her. However, she could not support them in this. Not when they were so utterly wrong. She could only hope that her father would be able to talk some sense in her mother, but she wasn't holding her breath. When Molly Weasley got a notion in her head, nothing could budge her. Not even cold hard facts. Suppressing a shudder, Ginny headed to Madam Pince to check out her books. She wanted to get as far away from Ron as possible. Especially as it looked like he was about to explode. Ginny quickened her steps, fingering her wand just in case...

HPDM

"Draco Malfoy, will you sit down!" Lucius snapped after his son had paced around the room for the tenth time. It was driving him up the wall.

"Dad, I can't! Harry hasn't woken up yet and it's been a day! What if he never wakes up? What if he just goes on sleeping? What if he...?"

Lucius snagged Draco's arm and dragged him to sit next to him on the sofa. "I know you are worried, son, but Severus has checked on him several times and he is fine. Remember, all Elves, even half-elves, have amazing healing powers. He will be fine, my Dragon. He just needs some time to heal the damage and probably to recharge his batteries too. He's been wearing that glamour for quite some time."

"Your father is quite correct, young Malfoy. Your mate should wake soon; he'll be a wee bit weak, but a good meal will put that to rights instantly," Salazar said from where he was leaning against the frame.

Draco threw him a dirty look, jumped to his feet and began pacing again. Lucius added his own dirty look at the painting. "Thanks a lot!" he groused, trying to get hold of his son once more, but Draco nimbly stayed out of reach.

"Ah, this brings back memories," Salazar said, amusement lacing his voice.

"Oh?" Lucius asked, hoping a story would settle Draco down for a little while.

"Yes. Helga's youngest son fell in love with and married an Elf descendant. They were so deliriously happy together, the entire castle was on a sugar high each time they visited. Anyway, on one such visit, Elmund -- that was the Elf's name -- tried his hand at playing Quidditch. Only he didn't bother using a broom. The other team figured he had an unfair advantage, so the Captain had his Beaters focusing on Elmund, with orders to knock him down. They did. El was hit by two Bludgers and fell to the ground like a rock. Ended up with a broken arm and leg and a few cracked ribs. Wilhelm, Helga's boy, was frantic, but no one knew what to do for the poor boy, so we just put him to sleep."

"How long did he sleep?" Draco asked anxiously, having listened while he paced, and gotten intrigued by the story in spite of himself.

"For a week," Salazar said succinctly. "But once he was awake, and had put away a meal worthy of a centaur, he was right as rain and insisted on going back to playing another game of Quiddich."

"I take it Wilhelm wasn't too keen on that idea," Lucius said dryly.

"You bet you last Galleon he wasn't. Nevertheless, El managed to talk him around to his way of thinking. It took an extended stay in the bedroom, but he got back into the air, eventually."

Lucius couldn't help but laugh. El sounded a lot like Harry, and he said so once he had his breath back.

"Now that you mention it, there are several similarities," Slytherin mused, shifting slightly to become more comfortable. "You know, it is quite possible they are related. Elf blood always will tell, and Elmund had the most amazing green eyes any of us ever saw. I know for a fact that they had five children. And those children gave them thirty-three grandchildren and close to a hundred great grandchildren."

"The Hufflepuff Line was killed off by Voldemort shortly after he came into power, but it is quite possible one of the sidelines still exists," Lucius mused, trying to remember the Hufflepuff Family Tree.

"There is always the possibility that Harry is a descendant of El's twin sister, Elmerina. I only met her a few times since she preferred to spend most of her time with the High Elves. She and her family came to a few of our family gatherings though, and she was very much like her brother. The same eyes, the same laugh, the same kindness. She fell in love with and married an Elf, and gave birth to four children. One hundred and fifty years later, one of her great granddaughters married one of my great grandsons, come to think of it. I wonder if the lad is related to me?" Salazar mused, growing thoughtful.

"But that is a puzzle for another day. What I suggest is that you go and find one of the paintings of Helga. There should be several hidden away in the castle. I'm sure one of them will be delighted to help you."

"Help us?" Draco asked hopefully.

"Yes, of course. After that incident with Elmund, Helga became intrigued with Elves and their Healing abilities. We all already knew they had salves and spells that were way past our level of Healing. She wanted to know if we -- humans, that is -- could use some of the things they'd learned, and she gathered all the knowledge she could get her hands on. Then there was the fact that she wanted to make sure that if anything ever happened to her son's mate, she'd be able to help and not just stand on the sideline, wringing her hands. Helga never liked being helpless. She was just as knowledge obsessed as Rowena, only Helga was much more hands on than Rowena ever was. I think that was because the Lady Ravenclaw was a Seer," Salazar trailed off and looked away into a past only he could remember.

"What do you think, Dad? Can we go and look for those paintings? Just think if we had the Founders on our side, Dumbledore would never be able to push us around then," Draco said eagerly.

"I agree that we should try and find Helga Hufflepuff and possibly Lady Rowena, but can you see Severus and Godric Gryffindor get along together?" Lucius asked a bit dubiously.

"But Dad! We can't make allies out of only three of the founders!" Draco protested. "I'm sure Sev and Godric will get along famously. If not, then Severus will get someone new to fight with and you know how much he loves a good argument. Besides, what if we offend Gryffindor so much he sides with the Headmaster? We can't have that, can we? Please, Dad."

" What does your son want now? " Severus asked, amused, coming out from his private lab where he had just finished of another batch of the Sanastosia Potion. Everything was coming together; all they needed now was to make sure Harry was awake before they began the process of removing the Dark Marks.

"Salazar suggests we go and find Helga Hufflepuff, and bring her here, since she made a study of Elves and their magic, their Healing magic. I'm sure Lady Rowena could give us a few tips as well. And just think if we had all the Founders on our side, why, the Headmaster would never be able to push us around ever again. Can we go look for them? Can we, Severus? Please?"

The Potions Master looked over at Lucius. "At times your son behaves like a perfect little Slytherin: sly, cunning, and with excellent arguments for why we should do what he wishes. Then he reverts to when he was five years old and spoils all his hard work. I can only hope that settling down with his mate will cure him of his more childish streaks."

Draco did the only thing he could think of. He stuck his tongue out and blew his godfather a raspberry.

The two men chuckled at the childish gesture and Lucius rose to his feet, ruffling his son's hair, much to Draco's chagrin.

"The plan has some merits. Besides, I'd love to discuss a few of the things Helga wrote in her book, _Light Versus Dark When Healing,_" Severus mused. "The only problem is that no one knows where the Founder's portraits are."

"All the Founders know where the other Founders are, and as it so happens, I am one of those Founders. I'd be more than happy to lead you to the others. While you're at it, could you liberate two of my other paintings? It gets a bit depressing to look at dusty old shelves all the time. After all, you did promise the Headmaster that you would put up a painting in the suite, did you not?"

The three humans broke into matching wicked grins. Soon it was decided that Severus and Draco would go and hunt down the other Founders while Lucius stayed and protected Harry from intruders; meaning nosy Headmasters.

HPDM

It was three o'clock in the morning by the time the last portrait was brought to Severus' rooms. The Potions Master had expected the paintings to have been hidden away in seldomly used classrooms in remote corners of the castle. But that was only true for the two portraits of Slytherin.

The paintings of the other three Founders were hidden in plain sight. Severus had time and again been surprised when Salazar had pointed him to paintings he'd passed, sometimes daily, and never suspected what he was passing by. It had taken the combined powers of him, Draco, and Hogwarts itself to undo the wards hiding the Founders from view, and Severus couldn't help but wonder why they were hidden like this. If Slytherin knew, he wasn't telling, and the other three were too newly awakened to be able to shed any light on the question. Not that they had had much time to talk to any of them. They had been in too much of a hurry to get the eight paintings to safety before anyone discovered what they were doing.

"Phew! That's the last one," Draco said, collapsing into the nearest chair. He had never been this magically exhausted before. He had figured it would be much like when he and Harry had fetched Salazar. A simple levitation charm and that was it. He had not been prepared for the hard spell work needed to uncover the portraits, or the sheer power that they'd had to put into that spell work. Maybe they would have been better off waiting for Harry to wake up? Remembering his mate, Draco was out of the chair and across the room in a blink of an eye. Seeing the empty divan, he began to panic, before a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. Looking up, he looked straight into his father's warm and compassionate silver eyes.

"He is fine, son, I put him to bed. Since he isn't wearing the glamour, I figured it would be better to keep him in the bedroom in case the Headmaster came by," Lucius said softly, giving the shoulder under his hand a squeeze.

Draco nodded his understanding and made a beeline for the bedroom.

"I hope you don't mind, Severus. But I know your bedroom is well warded, something the guestroom is not," Lucius continued, turning towards the Potions Master.

"That is fine, Luce. I should have suggested we moved him before I left. If Albus had decided to come here, you wouldn't have been able to keep him out. Only my magical signature can invoke those wards," Severus said, his focus on the paintings leaning against the furniture around the room.

"Why don't you put my portrait up on the wall?" Salazar suggested. He had returned to the frame he had inhabited before their little expedition. Since his charges were all down here, he had seen no point in returning to his guard post. Besides, he would be needed to explain to his friends what was going on. They had, after all, been out of the loop, so to speak, while hidden away.

"No! Not that portrait," Salazar cried out when he noted where Snape was headed. "The painting of me and my snakes. That way, one or two of my darlings can stay with your guard and they can alert me "as" to who is trying to gain entrance, and I can help keeping unwanted company out."

Severus paused, thought the suggestion over, and nodding his approval he headed for the other portrait. Levitating it gently, he carried it to an empty space opposite to where he usually partook in his meals when he ate in his chambers. He was looking forward to having many an interesting discussion with the Founder of his House. _I'll have to remember to put up a painting of some sort in my private lab as well. It would make it easier for all of us, when it comes to the time of them showing me how to brew new potions._

Lucius, who had watched with an amused smile playing at his lips, was only too happy to assist with the needed sticking charm.

Salazar happily rubbed his hands together. "Now then, it is late. Why don't you head off to bed and get some sleep? The lads will need you, and you will be of no help to anyone if you bite their heads off due to lack of sleep. I will bring me and my friends up to speed about what's been going on here. With luck we might even have the beginning of a plan ready for you."

Looking over at the two living occupants who were just staring at him, Salazar lifted an eyebrow. "What are you waiting for then? An engraved invitation?"

Lucius and Severus shared a look. Then they chuckled ruefully.

"Why don't you take the guestroom, Luce? I've got a cot in the lab I can use," Severus suggested, already heading towards his private lab.

Lucius opened his mouth to suggest they share the bed, but closed it again with a sigh, the words unspoken.

Severus heard them nevertheless and looked over his shoulder. Hesitating only briefly, he walked over to where his friend was standing, his heart aching at the forlorn look on Lucius' face. Gently Severus placed his hands on those slumped shoulders, giving them a small shake. "We are almost free, Lucius. A few more days and the curse overshadowing our lives will be gone for good. I'm not rejecting you, I just… I just want to wait until you can hold me in your arms, freely. Without the taint of our fathers."

"I know, Sev," Lucius whispered, leaning forward so he could rest his forehead on a strong, black clad shoulder. "I know, but it has been so long. And the ties holding me down are so thin…"

Severus didn't reply. He merely wrapped his arms around his Veela and held on.

* * *

**Next Time:**  
Harry wakes up and more are revealed.  
Until Then… 


	40. Harry Awakens

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter. Unfortunately.

Once again, the wonderful Vaughn has helped me fix the grammar. Any mistakes left are my own.

* * *

**Harry Awakens **

**Day 12: Saturday**

Draco shifted his position and winced slightly when one of the carvings on the headboard he was resting against poked him sharply in the back. Even though he was leaning against a small mountain of pillows, he could still feel the infernal thing.

"Salazar's beard, did he have to have them animated!" he muttered to himself, shifting his body once more when the first dragon was joined by a second one.

_Trust Severus to have a headboard carved with images of dragons._ Draco thought to himself. _If people knew, they might start asking why I was named Draco. Wouldn't they be shocked to find out that I was given that name because my father's mate is obsessed with the creatures? He is just as mad about them as Hagrid is, only he hides it better than that oaf does. Come to think of it, I wonder how Father managed to slip that name past Narcissa. She can't have guessed why he picked that particular name, because if she had realised…_

Dropping that line of thought, not wanting to get upset and risk disturbing Harry, Draco looked down at the body resting so peacefully against him. Once again, he was hit with the beauty of his mate.

Almost of their own volition, his hand reached up to card through the mass of dark curls. He hadn't believed it when Harry had dropped his glamour. Oh, he had known that Harry wasn't fully human. His scent had been a dead giveaway that first morning in the Great Hall. Yes, he had known, mentally. It still hadn't prepared him for the first true sight of his mate in full elf-mode. Harry was just exquisite. Delicious.

Beautiful…

Draco felt his face break out into a tender smile. Never in a million years had he imagined while growing up that one day, he would be together with someone like Harry. Oh, the boy had his faults, but somehow they all paled in comparison with all his other qualities. Had his father felt this way when he had realised that Severus was his mate? He would have to ask him one of these days. Maybe once they had bonded; maybe then the subject wouldn't be so painful for him and they could talk about the early days. Before…

Pushing the sad thoughts away, Draco chose to focus on the morning when he had, for the first time, 'sniffed' out who his mate was. How long ago that morning seemed. Amazing how much could happen in a few short days.

Draco snorted to himself and allowed his head to fall back against the headboard with a soft plonk. Almost immediately, he jerked his head forward with a wince. Reaching up to rub at the sore spot, he shifted slightly so he could crane his neck and glare behind him. As he had thought, two extremely smug looking dragons were waving at him. Trust Severus to have animated dragons that were just as snarky as he was!

Sticking his tongue out at the things, Draco picked up his wand and cast a Cushion Charm on the headboard. Let the dragons try to poke through that!

Feeling the body in his arms move, Draco looked down at Harry again and smiled tenderly. Harry. His mate. His mate who was an Elf. Who'd have thought? Allowing his mind to wander freely, Draco continued to card through the sleek hair, taking care to avoid the cute as hell ears. Helga had warned him that they were extremely sensitive, and she had advised against stimulating them while Harry was in a healing trance.

But a boy could dream, couldn't he?

Draco found that his nighttime dreams had taken on an entirely new erotic twist, and he had a sneaking feeling he was developing an ear fetish. Then again, how could he not? Harry's ears had always been cute. Nothing truly special for a human, yet very cute.

They were something else now. Elegantly shaped into a sharp point that was just begging for someone to suck them. Nibble them. Lick them. The way they were peeking up through the masses of dark hair, as if they were a pair of islands in a stream or something, did not take away from their attraction; in fact, it was quite the opposite.

Draco had a feeling that if they ever got to someplace safe, where Harry dared to walk around without wearing his glamour, then Draco would have a hard time not pouncing his mate whenever he saw him.

Hard.

Pounce.

He so did not need the puns right now. Especially in his own mind, thank you very much! The images that were popping up were far too alluring, and if he kept this up, he would have to take a cold shower. Again! He _hated_ cold showers!

Groaning, Draco shifted slightly, trying to get comfortable. Only this time it wasn't carved, animated dragons that were making him uncomfortable. His problem was further south, and it didn't help that Harry was sleeping wrapped around him. Yet Draco would never, in a million years, move him away. This was where he belonged. With Draco. In his arms. Forever.

If only he would wake up.

It had been days now and still there were no signs of the other boy waking up. Feeling his worry increase, his other problem subsided, and Draco was able to breath a little easier. What if Harry never woke up? What if he kept on sleeping for years and years and years and…

The body in his arms moved once more, and Draco looked down sharply. Was he finally waking up? Practically holding his breath, the Veela intently studied what he could see of his mate's face. Then a besotted smile spread across his features when Harry made the cutest little face as he tried to wake up. Unable to help himself, he chuckled as Harry burrowed down under the blankets. The boy had been sleeping for days, and he still wasn't ready to wake up. Draco shook his head in exasperation, his smile growing tender. Reaching out to stroke the side of the face that wasn't pressed into his chest, he waited for Harry to fully wake up, eager to hear how he was feeling.

HPDM

Harry slowly swam towards consciousness. He was somewhere warm and soft. Slowly coming more aware, he noted that he felt tired, almost lethargic, and that his muscles felt about as firm as a wet noodle. Not willing to wake up just yet, he burrowed down under the blankets, hoping to fall asleep once more.

A soft chuckle put a stop to that. Reluctantly lifting his head -- and surprised that he managed such a feat -- he looked into Draco's amused eyes.

"Feeling better, love?" the Veela asked softly, his eyes warm with affection.

"Umm, ask me again when I wake up," Harry murmured, putting his head back down on his soft pillow. He grunted in annoyance when the pillow shook. He pondered the fact for a moment, wondering what he could do to make it stop. Opening an eye to glare at it, he was once more startled towards wakefulness when he realised that he wasn't laying against a pillow, but Draco's chest.

Blinking several times, trying to fathom how this came to be, Harry slowly began to examine the room he was in. It was a room he'd never seen before. Dark grey stone walls, a large four poster bed with green beddings. Along one of the walls was a large wardrobe covered in carved dragons, also unfamiliar. Harry blinked and squinted his eyes. Had one of the dragons moved?

"Umm, where are we?" he asked, more to distract himself from the dragons that now were waving cheerfully at him than a true desire to know where he was.

"We are in Sev's bedroom. He will be delighted that you've finally woken up," Draco said cheerfully, running his hand through Harry's hair, making the brunet sigh with bliss. Then the words Draco had said sunk in.

"'In Sev's bedroom'," Harry repeated stupidly. "What happened? He isn't a Veela too, is he? No, don't tell me. He really is a Vampire, right? And now he wants to claim me as his mate as well, right?" Harry asked, disgruntled.

Draco stared at him. Then he collapsed in laughter. "Y-y-you be-better no-not let F-father he-hear you say th-that," he managed to stutter.

"Draco? Is everything all right? Oh! You are awake! How do you feel?" Lucius asked, coming fully into the room.

"Confused," Harry replied honestly, struggling to sit up a bit, feeling uncomfortable talking with people when he couldn't properly see them.

"About what?"

"What I am doing here? This is Professor Snape's room."

"Yes, it is. What is the last thing you remember?" Lucius asked, coming to sit on the edge of the bed.

Harry opened his mouth and closed it again, a frown formed on his brow. "I was... with Draco. We were..." And then the floodgates opened, and he remembered it all. "Oh."

"I take it you remember?" Lucius asked gently.

"Yes," Harry said in a small voice, staring at his lap. He started when Draco wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close. Almost automatically, the brunet snuggled into the Veela's side, leaning his head on a handy shoulder.

"No, love, I don't hate you. And I won't leave you either, if that is what worries you."

"But I'm a freak now, just as my uncle always claimed," Harry said miserably.

"No, Harry!" Lucius said firmly, gently grasping the teen's chin, forcing Harry to look at him. "You are not a freak. What you are is a descendant of a High Elf -- or possibly a Dark Elf, I'm not quite sure which. Not that it matters, since it really is the same thing. That is not the issue here. The issue is that you are magical being. _Rare_," he emphasised, "not a freak. To tell you the truth, if the wizarding world found out, they would fight to win your hand in marriage. To have an Elf in the family is considered an honour of the highest degree, especially since Elves very seldom mix with us humans. You did well to hide your heritage, but _not_ because you should be ashamed of it, but because it would only cause you trouble if it was widely known. Do you understand the difference?"

Harry looked long and hard into Lucius' eyes, and eventually, he nodded.

"Good. Now let's get you out of this bed. I bet you are hungry, and there is a stack of Muggle newspapers a house-elf brought this morning. Care to tell me why you requested them?"

"Newspapers? Merlin! What day is it?" Harry asked, reeling from shock. Just how long had he been asleep? Come to that, why had he been asleep? The last thing he remembered was… crying against Draco's chest, moaning in pain… and then… nothing.

"It is Saturday. And almost lunchtime, love," Draco replied, giving his mate a squeeze before sitting back. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

"Saturday? But I was injured on Thursday," Harry protested in disbelief.

"Exactly. Which is why we deemed it best to move you to Severus' bedroom. We didn't have any potions to give you and we weren't sure which spells were safe to use. Therefore, we put you to sleep to allow your body to deal with the damage on its own. It took a bit longer than we thought, but here you are, as good as new. You aren't in any pain, are you?" Lucius added suspiciously.

"No, just really tired and my muscles feel like wet noodles, but otherwise, I'm fine. Starving, but fine. And really in need of the bathroom!" Harry added, as his body finally kicked in and began sending signals to his brain.

The Malfoys chuckled, but assisted him to the toilet.

HPDM

Having splashed some cold water on his face, Harry felt one hundred percent better, and he joined the two blonds in the living room where a hearty meal was waiting for him, along with a large stack of papers just as Lucius had said.

"Care to tell me why my room is being cluttered with _that_?" Severus asked silkily, walking in from his private lab.

"Hello, Professor, thank you for letting me stay here," Harry said shyly, casting an uncertain glance at the tall figure. The man had been much nicer towards Harry now that he was Draco's mate, but Harry didn't think he took being kicked out of his own bedroom kindly.

"Think nothing of it, child. I wanted you close so I could keep an eye on you in case something happened. I put you in my bed to keep you safe if the Headmaster came here looking for either one of us. I was worried about keeping him out, but it seems your friend decided to give us a hand. Or should I say snake?" Severus mused, his voice laced with amusement as he speared a sausage.

"Snake?" Harry asked, nonplussed. Looking around the room, he noted the paintings adorning the walls for the first time. "Salazar!" he cried, jumping up from his chair to run across the room to greet this new painting of his friend. Unfortunately, he'd forgotten the state of his muscles and he faltered. Without the quick reflexes of the Malfoys, he would have ended up flat on the floor. Blushing hotly, Harry allowed them to help him back into his chair.

"Greetings, young Lord. I have heard a great deal about you from myself, and it is a pleasure to meet with another speaker. It's been ages since I've talked with anyone but myself and my snakes in Parseltongue," Salazar said with a warm smile. "I suggest, though, that you eat something. You need it. The Healing took a lot out of you, and it will take some time for you to recuperate."

"Zar is quite correct. From what El told me, I bet you are feeling about as stable as wet straw; am I right?" a soft female voice asked.

Looking around, Harry found the speaker, a beautiful woman with hair the colour of dark honey and deep blue eyes. "You are quite correct, my Lady," Harry nodded in respect, having an inkling as to whom this was. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you; Salazar has spoken a lot about you."

"Has he now?" Helga asked, giving her dark-haired friend a searching look. "I bet none of it was true. Knowing that old charmer, I'm sure he has embellished the truth quite a bit."

Harry chuckled. "I wouldn't know, ma'am. Perhaps you could tell me a few of your adventures? So I can compare them?"

"Oh, I like this one. He is definitely a keeper," Rowena said, stepping forward in her painting, abandoning the unicorn she had been petting. Helga was too busy laughing to reply verbally, but she nodded her head eagerly.

"If Zar has found something to like about you, I suppose you can't be a total failure," a gruff voice said, causing everyone to look at the speaker.

The Malfoys bristled at the condescending tone of voice while Harry shrunk back in his chair. The tone of voice and the condescending sneer was taking him back to his time with the Dursleys. He jumped when an arm settled around his shoulders. Turning his head, Harry was surprised to see Severus Snape glaring at Godric Gryffindor with the ire he usually saved for Neville Longbottom.

"I have found that he is anything but a failure. I strongly suggest you take the time to find out all the facts before you speak in such a manner again. I will not have my friends insulted in my private chambers. If you cannot agree to that, I will be happy to take you back to where I found you!" Severus snarled.

Harry blinked in surprise while Draco and Lucius beamed with both pride and happiness. Severus considered him a friend? He even stood up to Godric Gryffindor for him? Unable to contain his happiness, the teen threw his arms around the irate man and hugged the stuffing out of him.

The Potions Master froze in shock. Then he gently returned the gesture, hiding his smile in the sleek hair.

Godric blinked before he threw his head back and roared with laughter. Once he had calmed down a bit, he gave Harry an appreciative look. "You've got some staunch support there, lad. Good for you. By the looks of things, you're going to need it. I am Godric Gryffindor, but you can call me Ric. So… you are the one destined to take down the Dark Lord, eh? You don't look much, but I'm sure we can come up with a plan that ensure you come out on the top. I've worked with more pitiful material in the past, and I've yet to lose a fight."

Salazar snorted and Harry glowered darkly at the Founder of his House. "That's it! I'm going to demand a re-sorting!" Harry said, folding his arms across his chest, all but pouting. "At least Zar likes me."

"Oh, shush! All of you! Harry, dear, don't mind Ric. He's always grumpy when he is kept from being at the centre of things. Don't mind him. Eat something instead, things always look better on a full stomach," Helga soothed, redirecting the attention away from the brewing fight.

Draco turned his back on the obnoxious painting and focused on Harry instead. Loading his plate with food, he placed the fork in Harry's hand and _looked_ at him. When

Harry made no move to start eating, the blond asked sweetly, "Want me to feed you, love? I'd be delighted to," as he moved forward as if to take the fork back.

Harry snorted but did start to eat. He didn't think he'd survive being fed by Draco while being watched by all these people.

Desperate for a change of subject, Harry glanced around the room. Noting the eight paintings, he carefully chewed and swallowed the bite he'd just taken and asked, "Where did you find all the Founders? I only found that one portrait of Salazar, although I knew there were others hidden away inside the castle."

"It was my idea, actually," Salazar said, puffing out his chest in pride. "When we realised you were an Elf, and that you were hurt, we knew we needed help, and who better to turn to than our own expert on Elven matters? I am of course talking about our one and only Helga Hufflepuff."

"Oh, you! You are going to make me blush, you old charmer!" Helga protested, pressing her hands against flaming cheeks.

"Is that why you wrote that book? _Elven Healing And Other Useful Spells_?" Harry asked, looking up at the Founder with a new interest. "And is the Sanastosia Potion really based on one of their salves?" Harry continued, his meal completely forgotten.

"Why didn't you tell me you had access to that book?" Severus exclaimed, incensed that Harry had never mentioned owning that book.

"We really need to search through the Black library to see what other treasures are hidden inside," Lucius said, his agile mind already making an inventory of books he had always wanted to read but had been unable to find. Even with his name and fortune.

"I was wondering if you had access to that book, since the two of them rarely are separated," Helga said, smiling down at Harry, who was cowering away from Severus' anger.

Draco put two fingers into his mouth and let out a sharp, shrill whistle.

Everyone grew quiet and turned to look at him.

"Thank you! Harry, love, you can talk to Helga to your heart's delight. But only _after_ you have eaten," Draco ordered sternly, picking up and holding out the other teen's fork once more. Harry glowered, but accepted the fork and stabbed it into his food, putting another load into his mouth.

Nodding in satisfaction, the Veela then rounded on his godfather. "Cut out the anger, Severus. When in the names of Circe and Morgana would Harry have had either the time or the opportunity to tell you about that book! Isn't it enough that you have been given Longbottom's journal and Helga's other healing book?" Draco asked, holding his disapproving look onto the Potions Master's face until he reluctantly nodded and looked away

"As for you, Father, I am sure Harry will be happy to show you his library, as soon as things have calmed down a bit. In case you haven't noticed, we have all been kind of busy lately, and school hasn't even been in session for a month! No one is going to hound Harry about this, understood?" he demanded, looking sternly at everyone in the room, even the portraits.

"Salazar! We haven't even finished looking through the trunks Harry bought yet!" he cried in annoyance, throwing his hand up.

"Shh, Draco, I'm sure none of them meant to offend you," Harry said soothingly, placing a hand on the blond boy's arm, his meal forgotten once more with his need to calm the Veela down. Gently, carefully Harry placed his arms around a slim neck and applied a steady pressure until Draco gave in and leaned his head against Harry's chest.

Taking several deep breaths, allowing the soothing scent of his mate calm him, Draco felt the last of his anger melt away. _His scent is so much stronger when he isn't wearing his glamour. I wonder how much else that thing is masking?_

"Feeling better?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah. I'm sorry," Draco murmured, sitting back up again, frowning when he realised that Harry had stopped eating, _again_.

"No, it is we who should apologise," Lucius said with a wry smile. "You are quite correct. There just hasn't been time to do everything that needs to be done. With everything that is happening, it _is_ difficult to remember that barely two weeks have passed since the start of the school year, isn't it?"

"I apologise as well, Harry. You couldn't have known what importance that book holds, or how long I have wished to read it," Severus said, placing a gentle hand on Harry's shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze in apology.

Harry looked up at the two Slytherins and smiled. "There is nothing to forgive. I understand fully. I have access to a Time Turner. If you like, we could use it some night soon; that way you could investigate the library in the trunk, and I could copy the books you are interested in reading."

"I'd like that. Very much. How about after we have removed the Dark Marks?" Severus asked, glancing up at Lucius for his thoughts on the subject. "Things will have calmed down considerably for the two of us by then."

"You don't think it would be better if we did it before we removed the marks?" Lucius asked, not wanting to risk messing things up by playing around with time.

"Not if we waited a week or so before jumping back in time," Severus mused, giving the question some thought. "However, that is a question we do not need to answer immediately. We still have time to do that later. What we need to concentrate on now is making sure that Harry has recovered from his ordeal."

"Yes, and you won't get your strength back if you don't eat. So eat, will you?" Draco said with exasperation, loading the fork with some food and holding it up to Harry's mouth.

Harry blushed and tried to evade the persistent fork. "Draco, I am fully capable of eating on my own, thank you very much!" he eventually snapped, glaring hotly at the blond.

Draco merely shrugged and held the fork up with a mulish look on his face. "I know you can eat. However, when you refuse to do so, allowing yourself to be sidetracked by the smallest diversion, I have to step in, don't I? Will you promise to eat if I give you your fork back?" Draco asked, a challenging look on his face.

Harry glowered at him. Then he smiled ruefully and accepted the mouthful, removing the fork from Draco's fingers with a meaningful look. "I promise to eat, if you promise to tell me where you found the portraits."

"Fair enough," Draco conceded, leaning back in his chair, but never looking away from his mate's plate. "Salazar was kind enough to show us where the portraits of the other Founders were hidden. His paintings were actually the easiest to find. They were hidden away in two old, unused storage rooms at opposite sides of the dungeons. Actually, I don't think anyone has been down there for centuries," Draco mused, remembering the thick layers of dust that had covered everything.

"That is not entirely correct, young Malfoy," Salazar said with a scowl on his face. "Both of those paintings were hidden there by your Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Of course, he wasn't the Headmaster then, or he would have done a better job of hiding them, I'm sure."

"Why would he want to hide your portraits?" Harry asked with curiosity. "Hey, I'm eating, I'm eating," he added when he saw Draco prepare to lean forward again.

Smiling smugly, the blond settled back in his chair, waiting for the Founder's reply. That was a question he also wanted an answer to.

"I think Hogwarts made a big mistake when she chose that man to become the next Headmaster. Not that Dippet was much better," Salazar sighed. "Anyway, it all began when a brilliant young man came to this school, by the name of Tom Riddle. I am not sure how he found out that he was a descendant of mine, and I am even less sure how Dumbledore came by that information. Before Riddle and I could meet, Dumbledore interfered, the busybody that he is!

"I don't know what he feared, but to prevent me from meeting with the young man, Dumbledore tried to set fire to me. Now, Hogwarts is not about to allow anyone to harm her creators, and she retaliated swiftly and quite painfully. I understand his knickers were twisted for the next six months, and never the correct size. The school nurse at the time grew very concerned about his health, since he tended to speak in a very high, squeaky kind of voice."

Harry and Draco shared a glance, and then they were off, laughing so hard tears were streaming down their faces and they were fighting to breathe. Even Lucius and Severus were chuckling, although they could not help but wince at the mental images their minds supplied them with.

Even Salazar cracked a smile. "On top of that, his hair turned into different colours daily, none which suited him, and it tended to stand out in every direction, making him look as if he had been hit with lightning. It was then he began tucking his beard inside his belt, in an attempt to keep it under control. It took him almost eight months, and a lot of apologising to the castle to get her to forgive him and stop her punishments.

"Not daring to attempt anything that destructive again, he opted to hide me in as remote places as possible, putting up several charms to make locating me as difficult as possible. In an attempt to prevent me from venturing out into the castle, he made sure that none of the portraits had contact with the walls. He was only partially successful of course, since I was able to walk between my own paintings. Unfortunately, most of them were already hidden away in dusty old rooms.

"I tried on several occasions to meet up with my descendent, but something always prevented me from making contact. I don't know if it was Dumbledore, or if some other power played with our lives, but it wasn't until young Harry here came to Hogwarts that I was truly able to move around more freely again. What? Just because I am Salazar Slytherin, doesn't mean that I am all knowing and all seeing," Salazar added, seeing the living's disbelieving looks after being told he didn't know everything.

"No wonder Dumbledore dislikes you so much," Harry mused. "I bet he is blaming you for what Hogwarts did to him, all those years ago. I wonder… Do you think we could find out what charm the castle was using and use it on him again?" Harry asked, his eyes shining with mischief.

"That would be neat!" Draco agreed. "Then again, if we used that charm, he will probably figure out who the pranker is. But maybe we could find a charm to turn all his clothes black or something? That would be an improvement on what he is wearing now."

Harry nodded, realising the truth of the other boy's words.

"So, was it Dumbles that hid the other portraits as well?" Draco asked, turning his attention back to Salazar.

Seeing Harry's blank look, Severus filled him in with a few words on how well hidden the other three Founders had been, and what powers it had taken to free them from their hiding places.

"No, young Malfoy, it was not malice that caused us to be so well hidden away," Rowena said, taking over the explanations. "Many years ago, another Dark Lord was wrecking havoc on the land. This one claimed to be my heir, and he was insisting that Hogwarts belonged to him, as part of his birthright. He did manage to enter the castle on several occasions, and every time he would search for our paintings, until he was driven out by the current Headmistress."

"Why would he be looking for your paintings?" Harry asked as he tried to figure out what use a Dark Lord would have had for a bunch of paintings, no matter who they portrayed.

"Because he knew what could be done if he managed to gather us together, and if he managed to compel us to do his biddings," Rowena said, a faraway look on her face.

"I still don't understand," Harry was forced to admit. He hated it when people were vague and only hinted at what they were talking about. He had had enough of that treatment from Dumbledore.

"Harry," Salazar said, having a bit better understanding of the youth's psyche than his colleagues. "That young man was indeed a relative of Rowena's, although he wasn't her heir. If he had managed to gather the four dominant portraits, the 'soul portraits' as some like to call them, he could have used them in a ritual and gained their powers over Hogwarts, making the castle his for the rest of his life. We didn't want that since he was only interested in himself, and what powers he could gather. He was not interested in sharing his knowledge with others. That is why the Headmistress hid those portraits so well. It was meant to be only temporary. Unfortunately, she was captured and later on killed when she refused to say where she had hidden the portraits.

"Maybe that is what Dumbledore feared would happen with Tom Riddle. Maybe that is why he tried to get rid of my portrait. It was not needed though, since the other paintings were still hidden away." Salazar shrugged, not really interested in the mental musings of a man he truly and utterly despised.

"What are soul portraits?" Harry asked, never having heard that term before.

"When a painter is making a portrait of a wizard or witch, well, any magical being, I suppose, they can put a certain spell on that painting if the one ordering it so chooses. The spell requires that the painter mix that person's blood in the paint, and it takes a fairly strong person to cast the spell, which explains why there are so few skilled painters in our world. It is not a question of whether they are capable of bringing a likeness of their motif to the canvass, a mere child could do that with a little help from magic. No, the difficulty is the spell work and enchantments that go into the finished product.

"What this special spell does is captures part of the spirit of that person when they die, embedding part of that person's personality and most, if not all, of their memories into the painting. With the correct rituals, it is even possible to fuse part of a person's powers into the painting, and that is what the four of us did with our Master Portraits."

"But, I thought you could only have one Master," Draco said, somewhat confused. "We rescued two portraits for each of you."

"Yes, however, only one was the true Master. You see, when we first opened this school, we wanted to put a portrait of each of us in the Great Hall, so we had four paintings commissioned, infusing our memories into them of our lives up till then. We wanted to give our students the opportunity to ask us questions, or just talk to us, getting to know us in a way that just was not possible, what with teaching, and running the school, and all the little annoying details that demanded our time during the day.

"Then again, our dream was for us to remain in the Great Hall for all time, watching our school grow and develop," Rowena said with a small, embarrassed laugh.

"We ended up giving so much of us into the portraits that they almost became a soul portrait, and it was feared that they would be strong enough for that brat to use in the ritual, so it was decided that both sets were to be hidden."

"But why wasn't Salazar hidden as well?" Harry wanted to know.

"Because I alone would have been useless to the fellow. Besides, we thought it would be safer if one of us was up and about, and since I am by far the sneakiest of us, we decided it would be me who stayed awake," Salazar explained with a smug smirk.

"Sneakiest by far," Godric snorted. "You hid yourself before any of us could say a word, making sure you were the one left on the outside. It is exactly that kind of behaviour that has gotten you such bad reputation, Zar, and you know it."

"Bah, hogwash, you are just jealous it wasn't you that got the credit for-" Salazar began to say with a negligent wave of his hand, but before he could finish, Rowena cut him off.

"Now, now, let us not start _that_ old argument again, gentlemen," she said, scowling darkly.

The three Slytherins were burning up with curiosity, but none of them were brave enough to open that can of worms at the moment. Not when both Salazar and Godric looked properly chastened and quickly changed the subject.

"You know, Harry, as I was saying to your mate the other day, I can't help but wonder if you aren't related to either me or Helga," Salazar said, smoothly drawing the attention away from himself and over to Harry.

"Oh?" Harry asked, looking up in surprise. This was news to him.

"Oh, but of course, Elmund and Elmerina," Helga said while nodding her head vigorously.

"Who and who?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

"Ah yes, you were asleep at the time," Salazar mused. Swiftly he and Helga filled Harry in on who the two twins had been, and how they suspected that he was one of their descendants. Feeling quite overwhelmed, Harry wasn't sure how he felt about this discovery, or what to do about it if it was true. At least if he was related to Slytherin, that would explain why he was a Parselmouth. An explanation that sounded far more plausible, and, well, nicer than thinking that Voldemort had transferred some of his powers to Harry the night he tried to kill him.

Sensing his mate's unease, Draco wrapped his arms around him and just held him close, not caring whether he had finished his meal or not, instinctively sensing that he would not eat anything more at this time.

Watching the two with a worried frown, Severus and Lucius gave them a few moments to pull themselves together, focusing on their own food that was only edible due to the warming charms the house-elves had put on their plates. In the background, the Founders talked quietly among themselves, sensing that Harry needed some time to digest all the new information he'd been given.

HPDM

In the Great Hall, Ron was inhaling his lunch when something caused him to look up. Seeing one of the twin's screech owls coming towards him, he broke into a happy grin. Noting the thickness of the envelope, his grin grew even bigger, and it took on a distinctly smug tinge.

Finally! He had _known_ the twins would side with him. He had been disappointed when Ginny refused to see whom Harry really was, but then again, she was young and thought she was in love. He supposed he would have to give her allowance for that. She should soon come to her senses.

The twins were another matter. They were older, and they saw things much clearer than their little sister did. Ron was mentally rubbing his hands together as he tried to guess what type of prototypes the twins had sent him. If he was really lucky, they had included that new potion that would change the sex of a person for up to a month. That would serve Harry right. If he insisted on being the little woman, then he should look the part!

Tearing the letter open, the redhead was unprepared for what happened next. The twins had included something in their letter all right. But it wasn't what Ron had expected. Instead of parcels filled with sweets, a yellowish substance all but exploded from the envelope, covering Ron's upper body and hands. Crying out in pain, he garnered just about everyone's attention. Hermione flew to her feet, pulling her wand to come to his aid. McGonagall was already striding down the table to add her assistance as she found out what was going on now.

"I don't believe it!" Ron screamed, coming to his feet, shaking his hands in an attempt to get the goo off of him, only succeeding in spreading the stuff to those sitting next to him. Dean and Seamus flew to their feet, backing away from the irate redhead as quickly as they could, while adding their own cries of pain and indignation to the melee.

"Bubotuber pus," Hermione sighed, remember vividly what it had felt like being covered in it in her fourth year. "Undiluted, if I'm not mistaken." The tone of her voice made it clear to all that she found it extremely unlikely that she was wrong.

"Mr. Weasley, kindly stop spreading that vile stuff to your Housemates. Just because you are suffering from an idiotic, childish prank is no reason to involve others in your sufferings," McGonagall snapped, cleaning most of the excess pus off Ron, and removing it completely from the table.

Picking up the envelope it had arrived in with the tip of two fingers, the professor held it out to Ron to take. However, it was Hermione who accepted it since Ron's fingers were too swollen and tender for him to hold it.

"I suggest you head up to the hospital wing and allow Madam Pomfrey to treat your injuries. And in the future, Mr. Weasley, I would appreciate it if you showed your fellow house mates a bit more consideration. Now off with you, the pus will not disappear by itself," McGonagall stated, making a shooing motion with her free hand.

"I don't believe it!" Ron complained, starting to make his way out of the Hall. "I'm the one who is pranked, and I'm the one who gets dumped on? By the way, did those menaces say why they subjected me to this? Just wait until next time I see them! They won't know what hit them! I will curse them so bad, they will never come near me with any of their stupid pranks again!"

Hermione had tuned out his rant and had carefully extracted the letter inside the envelope, using a nifty little charm to protect her hands from any remaining traces of the pus.

"_Dearest Ron, not!_

"_Have you utterly lost what little sense the gods gave you? Why would we want to prank Harry? Why in Merlin's name would we want to help making his life more miserable? Isn't it enough that he is stuck with Draco Malfoy? Now you want his family to turn on him as well?_

"_Because that is a small matter that your pea sized brain seems to have forgotten. Harry is family! Just as much as you are, although some days we wonder if you really are related to the rest of us, or if you are a foundling along with Percy._

"_That's right, Ronnikins! You are behaving just as righteous and sanctimonious as that pompous windbag is. Guess that proves he really is our brother. Not a fact either of us can take much pride in, now is it?_

"_Just to make this perfectly clear to you. You will leave Harry alone. You will leave Draco Malfoy alone. You will not prank, hex, jinx, curse, or in any other way make their lives difficult, is that understood? _

"_We like Harry. We consider him a brother. If we find out that you have bothered him, in spite of this warning, then we will come after you, brother dear, and we can assure you that we have worse things at our disposal than some Bubotuber pus! _

"_Gred and Forge Weasley."_

A pregnant silent filled the hallway as Ron tried to come to grips with the letter Hermione had read to him. He wanted to lash out at her, accuse her of having read the letter wrong. Unfortunately, the pain he was in was telling him loud and clear that no, the twins were not happy with him at the moment. That, and the fact that Hermione did not do pranks. She was far too serious for such things.

"I'm sorry, Ron. I guess they are blinded by the fact that Harry gave them the money to start up that silly shop of theirs," Hermione eventually said, attempting to find a reason for the twins' behaviour.

"I guess," Ron said glumly. "I really wish they had helped me though, it would have made getting back at Harry soooo much easier."

"Don't worry, Ron. I will help you," Hermione said with surprising determination. "That boy has been allowed to run free for far to long. Clearly the teachers are blinded by his fame, just as everyone else. Well, I will make sure he is stopped, before he gets someone else killed! I am just as skilled at potions as the twins are, and if you tell me which ones you want made, I'll make them for you!"

"Really? Thanks, Hermione, you are the best!" Ron cried in delight, moving forward to pull her into a big hug, momentarily forgetting the state of his clothes.

Hermione wrinkled her nose and nimbly stepped back. "Um, how about we get you to Madam Pomfrey and then we'll find a quiet corner where we can plot?"

"Deal! You are the best, Hermione! Simply the best!" Ron said, practically skipping down the corridor, his pain momentarily forgotten. If the twins wouldn't help him, then having Hermione at his side was the next best thing. After all, she was the cleverest witch in school.

With his head filled with dreams of all the things he would do to Harry and Malfoy, Ron walked through the doors to the infirmary, never noticing the dark looks the other Gryffindors were sending him.

* * *

**A/N:** Someone mentioned that Pansy stated that she hated Draco when under the influence of the Black Truth potion. That is right, she did. She still does. Her wish to marry Draco has noting to do with love, and all to do with money, social prestige, money, power, money and not to mention money. In short, Pansy is a gold-digger.

**Next Time:**  
We find out more about what happened when Harry realised he was an Elf.  
Until Then…


	41. Revelations

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

**A/N:** Sorry for being so late posting this chapter. Would you believe that I actually forgot it was Monday?

Vaughn did the Beta for this chapter; any mistakes left are my own

* * *

**Revelations**

It took awhile, but eventually everyone had finished their meal, even Harry. After sending the leftovers back to the kitchens, Lucius glanced over at the Elf, and noting the way he was drooping, he stood up and went to scoop the youth into his arms.

Draco made it to his feet as well, and looking quickly around the room, he made his way over to the divan that had yet to be returned to its original state. Taking out his wand, Draco changed the piece of furniture back into a couch, changing the armrest slightly so it would support him better.

Settling onto the couch, wriggling slightly to become more comfortable, he patted the seat in front of him, looking up at his father expectantly. Lucius took the hint and gently placed Harry where Draco had indicated. As soon as the older Veela had removed his arms from around the brunet, Draco immediately latched on to him, gently pulling him back until he was reclining against the blond. Both Lucius and Severus watched the fussing with amused smiles, assisting when needed, adding several pillows and a blanket charmed to always stay the perfect temperature.

"Now then, those three have informed me of what they could, but I need to hear the story from you to know how to help you the best," Helga said in a businesslike manner once Harry was settled to everyone's satisfaction. "Don't leave anything out now. This is very important."

Harry looked up at the Hufflepuff Founder and found himself at the centre of attention from everyone, both living and dead. Blushing hotly, he asked "What exactly is it you want to know?"

"Everything! Start with when you first noted something different. I understand you had your sixteenth birthday this summer? How long before that day did you start noting the changes?" Helga asked, still using a no-nonsense voice. It was clear to everyone that this was important, and that she was not about to be put off.

Sighing deeply and burrowing deeper into Draco's embrace, Harry cast his mind back to the beginner of the summer.

"I think it all began the night Sirius died. I was so angry that night. Especially after Dumbledore 'apologised' and finally told me what it was all about. So much could have been avoided. I would have done so many things different if I'd had even the smallest inkling of what was going on.

"When I was finally allowed to leave his office, I could feel my magic crackling around me and I just knew I had to find a way to safely get rid of it." Harry smiled wryly. "So, I went to the Room of Requirement. It was most helpful, producing I don't know how many tea sets, apples, and pumpkins for me to smash. By the time I was no longer crackling, I was exhausted and I barely made it back to the tower.

"For the next few days I felt… normal, I guess. There were no more outbursts of magic or anything like that. Then again, I spent most of my time on my own, roaming the hallways, so there wasn't really anything that could set me off. I was still in denial, I guess. I just refused to believe that Sirius was gone. I kept waiting for him to pop up around some corner and shout 'Surprise!', or something just as inane."

Harry sighed and smiled a bitter little smile, devoid of any and all humour. "He never came though. I don't think I will ever forgive him for that. He promised he would always be there for me, but in the end he left too." Harry sighed once more, this time in appreciation when Draco began to run a hand through his hair. It was very soothing, and he shifted slightly so he could rest his head against the blond's chest, suddenly needing to hear his steady heartbeat.

"When Remus and the others dressed Uncle Vernon down, threatening him with bodily harm if they didn't take good care of me, I was so happy. I took it as a sign that they truly cared for me. I mean, even Mad-Eye Moody joined the fray to ensure that I was safe. I had this big ball of something in my chest, and I was positively beaming all the way home.

"The beam died down once I was back inside Privet Drive though. Uncle Vernon subjected me to a very long rant, yelling at me for lying to the freaks about the care they had given me over the years. He actually had this long list with stuff they had done for me. As I sat there listening, I become more and more stunned when I realised that he truly felt that they had taken good care of me. After all, they had given me a roof over my head, no matter that that roof had been the cupboard under the stairs. And they had fed me, given me food at least once a day. No matter that that food mostly were things that Dudley refused to eat. And since he is a walking garbage disposal…

"Hearing him talking, sounding like he and his family had treated me like they would the queen of England, I guess I just blew up. I got right up into his face, yelling at him, telling him exactly what I thought of his care, and that he and his precious family were fortunate that I wouldn't go to the police. I told him I didn't think either they or a judge would agree with their sterling hospitality and care."

Draco snorted. "I take it he didn't appreciate that, eh, love?"

It was Harry's turn to snort. "No, he didn't. He hit me. He backhanded me, sent me halfway across the room. At first I couldn't believe it. They have never really hit me before. Slaps and pulling in my hair and ear, yes, but outright hitting, no, they never took it that far. For long moments we just stared at each other, trying to figure out just exactly what had happened, I guess. Then he opened his mouth, probably to tell me that I deserved it. I don't know, I never allowed the words to be spoken. I just saw red. The next thing I know, I'm crackling again and things are blowing up.

"Then Dumbledore arrived, with Remus and Tonks. Dumbledore spoke with Uncle Vernon, I think… I think he Obliviated him, I'm not sure. Anyway, Tonks started to fix things up while Remus asked me if I was okay. I reassured him, telling him I was fine. That was when he told me that he would be going away for a while. That he couldn't stand staying at… at Grimmauld Place, not without Sirius. He asked me if I was okay with that." Harry snorted, but it came out more as a sob. "I wasn't okay with it. I was far from okay with it, but how was I supposed to tell him that? When he was standing there, practically begging me with his eyes to say that it was all right that he left. That I didn't mind him deserting me as well. All I could think was 'so that is why he threatened the Dursleys, he knew he wouldn't be here to look after me himself, so he threatened them into behaving'.

"It hurt," Harry whispered, burying his face in the crook of Draco's neck. "It hurt so bloody much."

"What did you do?" Draco asked softly, already knowing the answer.

"The only thing I could do," Harry replied. "I told him I understood, and that he should go, and not come back until he was doing better. The look in his eyes… I will never forget that grateful look…

"Anyway, he charmed Hedwig so that she could find him, and then they left. I didn't feel like being around anyone, especially not the Dursleys, so I went up to my room and stayed there for the rest of the night," Harry went on with his story, forcing his voice to be matter of fact. He stayed hidden in Draco's neck though, and never saw the fury in two set of eyes, one onyx, and one silver. Both sets held a dire promise of pain and misery for a certain werewolf once he returned to Britain Draco noted, but he was too busy trying to help his mate through his feelings of despair to join in the plotting of Lupin's demise.

"By the next morning I had managed to put things somewhat in perspective, but I was still depressed. Feeling hungry, I ventured downstairs, figuring that the Dursley would behave after what had happened the day before." Harry snorted. "Either Uncle Vernon had talked himself into believing that what happened hadn't happen, or Dumbledore really did Obliviate him. Either way, he hardly set eyes on me before he began to make snide comments. My temper was already short from lack of sleep, it did not improve by being told what a worthless freak I was, and what a waste of space, and wasn't it too bad that I hadn't been killed along with my good for nothing godfather."

"He didn't!" Severus groaned, remembering clearly the chaos he had landed in when he'd accompanied Dumbledore to Privet Drive when the alarms went off.

Harry sent him a weak smile. "Yep, he did. Understandably, I did not take those comments well. I don't think there was one bit of china in that kitchen that wasn't blown to smithereens." Harry's grin had taken on a distinctly shark-like quality. "Aunt Petunia refused to use those dishes ever again, demanding almost hysterically of Uncle Vernon that they go to London and buy new china since she refused to eat on those freak infested things, and just imagine what they would do to precious Diddydunkins."

The three men shuddered at the shrill woman's voice coming from Harry. Severus' shudder was the most distinct, since he alone knew just how dead on the impersonation was.

"I was eating breakfast with Albus and a few others that morning," Severus said, momentarily taking over the tale. "He had called a meeting to discuss what had happened with Harry the previous evening. Molly was ranting and raving, and Mad-Eye was looking displeased, when the alarms suddenly went off. Albus, along with Mad-Eye, Tonks, Shacklebolt, and me immediately set off. We were convinced the Dark Lord had attacked at the very least, judging by the amount of magic used.

"We arrived in the kitchen. Harry was standing in the middle of it, looking ready to murder, while a walrus of a man was yelling at him, making the already explosive situation even worse. I grabbed hold of Harry and hauled him into another room, giving him a dressing down that completely derailed him from his fury, causing his magic to finally die down. I never did apologise for that, did I? I should have handled things differently. I-"

"No, there is no need to apologise. No, really, there isn't," Harry said, looking over at the Potions Master. "You did exactly the right thing; I did need to get my magic and my emotions under control," Harry admitted, ducking his head slightly as he remembered just how out of control he'd been.

Severus opened his mouth, and then he closed it again. They would need to talk about his previous behaviour, but now was not the time.

"Anyway, Dumbledore managed to restore order once again, and after putting the kitchen back together, they all left. I gathered some food and went up to my room. The Dursleys all left for London to do some, according to my aunt, much needed shopping, and the day went by peacefully.

"The next day, I stayed out of sight, eating the food Mrs. Weasley had sent me along with the letters from Ron and Hermione. They had heard of what had happened, and Ron congratulated me on getting the Muggles but good, while Hermione lectured me on proper behaviour and warning me about being expelled for using magic during the summer. Come to think of it, why didn't I get into trouble for that?" Harry asked, glancing over at Severus once more.

"You never used a spell," the older man replied simply. "There was a massive outpouring of raw magic, yes. But no spells were consciously spoken to direct it. It was more like really strong accidental magic of the type small children produce. The Ministry registered it, but they had no reason to call you upon it. Besides, it is not uncommon for these types of things to happen when a magical child approaches their sixteenth birthday," Severus concluded with a small shrug. Then he gave Harry a speculative look. "Care to inform us as to what the Muggles did that caused you to practically blow up the entire house?"

Harry sighed but obediently cast his mind back to that morning. "I would have continued to stay out of their way as much as possible, but Uncle Vernon was hollering for me the next morning, demanding that I'd come down and eat breakfast with them. 'I'll not have you telling those…_people_ that we aren't feeding you,' he sneered, and I figured I'd go along to keep the peace. I really should have known better," Harry said ruefully, shaking his head.

"Turns out that the Dursleys bought more than just china while they were in London. When I arrived in the kitchen, the food had already been dished out, and a plate was already waiting for me, loaded with pancakes, jam, and a small mountain of sugar. Now, I've been given pancakes before, but never any jam, and _never_ any sugar. I didn't know what to think, so I sat down and slowly cut a tiny piece of pancake and put in my mouth. It tasted okay, so I ate it, and took another small piece and placed it in my mouth. All the while the Dursleys were monitoring every move I made, practically holding their breaths every time I put some food in my mouth. They were completely freaking me out, let me tell you!

"Apparently I was taking too long, because suddenly Uncle Vernon slammed his fist down, shouting at me that they weren't trying to poison me, so would I just eat already? He scared me half to death with his sudden outburst, and I looked up into his eyes. I don't know what happened, but suddenly I was inside his head, seeing what he had done. He-" Harry choked on his emotions, and for a moment, he couldn't speak. Draco rubbed his back comfortably, crooning softly and just holding him.

"They had stopped someplace and they had gotten their hands on some super strong rat poison. The sugar on my pancakes wasn't sugar at all… I… I have no idea how long I just sat there, sharing his memories. Then one of us blinked and all I could think of was that they had tried to kill me. Me staying with them was helping to keep them safe from Voldemort, and as a thank you, they were trying to kill me. No matter what Dumbledore had said to reassure me, they actually hated me enough to ensure that I would be out of their lives… It didn't matter to them that I was their own flesh and blood.

"I just lost it. I remember thinking that if they were prepared to go that far, then why the hell should I work so hard to keep them safe? What had they ever done to deserve a nice home and beautiful stuff? What had they done to deserve that when I had been forced to live like a house-elf? I just wanted to punish them. I wanted them to pay for what they had done to me. For what they had tried to do to me. If they were that determined to complain about me, then I would bloody well give them something to complain about!

"Suddenly all I could remember was all the times they would lock me out of the house for fear that I would blow it up, and I thought, well, wouldn't it serve them right if I _did_ blow the blasted house up… and then…" Harry frowned. "I'm not sure what happened after that," he admitted.

"The alarms went off again," Severus said dryly. "This time only I accompanied Albus, who were muttering about insolent brats who needed a good spanking."

Harry sat up, leaving Draco's arms, spluttering in outrage. "He did what?"

"He sounded remarkably like me, the way I used to sound in matters concerning you, and I must admit that I was highly amused with the situation. I ceased to be amused when we landed in the kitchen and took stock of what was going on." Severus sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. "Harry was standing in the middle of the kitchen, and there was a strong wind swirling around him, and he was just… _crackling_ with magic. I remember feeling amazed that such a tiny boy could hold that much magic. I was expecting him to just… blow up with it.

"He didn't, but something else was. This time the magic wasn't targeting small things like the china or the furniture. No, this time the entire house was bulging with it, and you could easily tell that one more small push was all it would take for it to come tumbling down on all of us.

"For a moment we just stood there, and I, for one, had no idea what to do. I didn't think my approach from the day before would work this time. Then Albus pulled his wand and stunned Harry. For a moment the magic really went wild, surging around us, blowing out one of the walls. Then it just died down, and I remember thinking that it was bloody fortunate that we weren't blown up along with that wall. I don't think I have been that furious with Albus in a very long time, if ever.

"Vernon Dursley was actually the one who recovered first. The abuse that man had the gall to heap over our heads… I was bloody furious after five words. If that is the typical behaviour of that Muggle, then I don't blame you for blowing them up," Severus said, slanting Harry a glance.

The teen smiled gratefully. He was once more resting against Draco's chest, allowing the Veela's heartbeat and petting to soothe him.

"Anyway, Albus realised it would be futile to try and force Harry to stay, so he packed his things and brought him back to Grimmauld Place."

"Where I woke up laying on a sofa, with Dumbledore standing over me, looking most displeased and disappointed. He subjected me to a lecture that lasted for almost twenty minutes, telling me about how important it was that I got a hold of my temper, and what an inconvenience it was that I had lost the protection my relatives provided me. On and on and bloody _on_, he went. In the end I just looked down at the floor, tried to look properly chastened, and amused myself with counting how many flowers were weaved into the carpet."

"What about the Muggle's attempt to kill you? What did he have to say about that?" Draco demanded, not believing what he was hearing.

Harry snorted. "Who said he asked for my side of the story? I tried to tell him what had set me off, but he just kept talking over me, making it extremely clear that he didn't think anything could excuse my outburst, so I just… I just kept quiet," Harry said with a shrug, causing his living audience to curse softly in outrage on his behalf.

Salazar were more explosive in making his feelings heard, muttering about needing to get together with Hogwarts and remind the Headmaster what it felt like to be sixteen years old. Perhaps then he would stop being such a jackass! Godric lighted up and began to rub his hands, and he eagerly stepped over to Salazar's painting, demanding loudly to be let in on the action. Rowena and Helga shared an exasperated look and shushed the other two Founders, telling them that they could plot later, _after_ Harry had finished his story. The two men smiled sheepishly and asked Harry to continue, all the while murmuring suggestions to each other out of the corners of their mouths.

"For the next few days I mostly kept to myself, and things were fine. But I think something happened when I lost my temper that last time. As long as I was alone, keeping busy with either studying or cleaning, things were okay. However, I didn't get to be alone for long. Dumbledore kept popping up, wanting to 'chat'. I grew more and more irritated with him, and every time I grew really annoyed, a small breeze would form around me. In the beginning it wasn't really notable, just a light tugging on my hair and clothes. But with time it grew stronger and stronger, and my temper grew shorter and shorter," Harry added with a wry smile. "After I blew up at Dumbledore a few times, he stopped pestering me. Unfortunately, he sent for the cavalry."

"Let me guess, the Weasel and Granger," Draco said knowingly.

"Yep, you got it in one," Harry nodded, giving him an approving smile, reaching up to stroke a soft cheek. Draco returned the smile and nuzzled the hand gently. Harry sighed happily and snuggled back down, putting his head under Draco's chin. Closing his eyes, he went back to his tale.

"You know, at first, I was so happy to see Ron and Hermione again; I had been worried sick about them. No one would tell me how seriously injured they had been. However, when I was finally allowed to see them, something had changed. I still don't know if it was me or them, but for some reason they grated on my nerves. Ron was forever going on and on about the battle and what he should have done differently. It was almost as if he demanded my approval or something. I tried to give him what he wanted, but after a while, I just ignored him.

"Hermione wasn't much better. She would go on and on and _on_ about how mistaken I'd been, and how much better off we'd all been if I had just listen to her about the whole thing being a trap. Then she'd be gloating about this spell and that, which she'd done correctly, and how right she'd been to talk me into starting the DA.

"It didn't take long before I was doing my best to avoid them as well. Earning myself another set of lectures from Hermione about not pushing away my friends, and needing to open up and discuss my feelings."

Draco snorted and mumbled something about stupid Mudbloods, and not understanding how she got top grades every year. Harry manfully ignored him as well as the way Severus was rolling his eyes.

"I suppose things wouldn't have been _that_ bad if it weren't for the dreams. I was having nightmares about the night Sirius died a lot. Vol- er, the Dark Lord amused himself by sending me a few visions. They were rather… nasty. There were other dreams as well, and I spent more nights roaming the hallways of Grimmauld Place than in my own bed. It was one of those nights I accidentally woke up Mrs. Black, and things actually improved after that. I still had trouble sleeping, but now at least I had someplace to be, something to do during the nights.

"Then one morning I noted that my hair looked different. My first impulse was to run to Dumbledore and demand an answer as to what the hell was going on. Then I stopped to think. I no longer trusted the Headmaster; did I really want him to know about this? I found out that the answer was no, so I snuck away to the Black library as quickly as I could to read up on glamour charms. Not something I had taken a lot of interest in before, let me tell you.

"Each day I would check the mirror, and soon the changes encompassed more than just my hair. My ears began to itch something fiercely. Then they began to ache, and then one day, they looked like they do now. I grew taller, my hair soon reached my waist, and I no longer needed my glasses. Guessing what I was, I looked for books and found a few about Elves and their magic, and through one of them I found a glamour spell no wizard could see through. It could even withstand a scan from a Healer, as long as it was a light scan.

"Hiding my new looks was child's play, it was the other changes that proved to be a real challenge to conceal. Like my improved hearing. Mrs. Weasley put up some impressive anti-listening charms during the Order meetings to stop us kids from listening in, so I never learned what the Order was up to. However, the Order never bothered to put up any charms when they were just sitting around, talking. I learned a lot of things this summer, that frankly, I did not want to know. Like how, surprisingly, many of the members bought into the smear campaign Fudge launched through the papers, and in spite of being proven right when it came to the return of Voldemort, they still considered me a spoilt child who was given far too much leeway.

"Mrs. Weasley's reaction was the hardest to come to terms with. She kept ranting and raving every chance she got, telling anyone within earshot -- and unfortunately that included me -- how deranged I was and what I danger I was to the children, and how she didn't want me anywhere near her children anymore, and wouldn't it be better for everyone if I was taken out of school and trained somewhere where I wouldn't put others at risk?

"It hurt. It hurt at lot to hear her talk like that. Especially since I kind of regarded her as a surrogate mother. It also hurt to realise that she was getting to Ron and Hermione. The few times I spent time with them, they were… different. They didn't act like my friends. They acted as if they were on a mission or something, and their objective was me. That's why their behaviour these last two weeks haven't surprised me. Disappointed me, yes, but it didn't surprise me, not really.

"Anyway, finding stuff like that out did not help me to keep my new and volatile temper under control, so I pulled away. As long as I didn't spend time with others, I could keep from blowing up at people. Finding out about Black Manor and spending a lot of my time there really helped my keeping my temper under control. Unfortunately, that did not sit well with Dumbledore, as he started seeking me out again, wanting me to talk to my feelings and not to 'bottle things up, like I always do'. In the end, I guess he got the message, but I don't think he realised how close I came to blowing him and the entire house sky high," Harry said tiredly, huddling closer to Draco.

"Oh, Harry," Draco said softly, hugging the boy closer to him. His heart was aching for the teen who had been through so much. How much more could he deal with before he cracked? No wonder he was so mistrustful. Everyone he had ever cared for had turned their backs on him in one way or another. Just wait until next time he saw that Weasel. Maybe it was time to show the world what a bouncing weasel looked like?

"I'm sorry your life has been filled with such strife, young Lord, but bear with me for a little longer. You mentioned dreams? What type of dreams?" Helga asked gently, not wanting to distress the boy further, but needing to know.

Harry frowned. He didn't really want to tell her. He didn't want to tell any of them, except maybe Draco. Something about that dream felt immensely personal and he knew it was not to be talked about among strangers. Then again, he did need help understanding what was going on. Closing his eyes, he reluctantly began to talk.

"It is always the same. There is a woman, playing an instrument and singing a song. The song, it is so sad, and I can feel it calling me. I want to rush to her, but I don't know why I feel like that. Or even where she is, or how to find her."

"What instrument is she playing? And is she alone?" Helga asked excitedly.

"Yes, she is alone… And she is playing a harp." With that Harry half-turned and burrowed his face into Draco's neck, making it clear that he was not about to answer any more questions.

"Thank you, child; I realise it was not easy for you to tell me this. From what I've been told, these dreams are very private and aren't meant to be shared with outsiders," Helga explained to the ones listening.

"Don't worry, Draco, I was going to tell you about the dream. I was going to tell you about the Elf part as well, but I wanted to wait until things had calmed down a bit," Harry whispered so only Draco could hear him. He had felt the Veela tense when Helga said the part of the dream not being shared by outsiders, and Harry didn't need to look at the blond's face to see the hurt look he sported.

Draco _had_ felt hurt that Harry had hidden such a big part of himself from him. Then the logical part of his brain kicked in, and he realised they had only been friends for a few weeks. To be fair, he hadn't told Harry everything there was to know about himself yet, so how could he demand that of Harry? Especially since all his friends had already turned away from him, and that _before _they knew his big secrets. "I understand and I am not angry. I love you, Harry," he whispered into the nearest shell shaped ear.

"So what does this dream mean?" Lucius demanded, having seen some of the interaction between his son and his mate, guessing at what was being said by Draco's body language.

"From what El and his sister told me, this means that young Harry here is more Elf than human."

"And that means… what?" Lucius asked, getting impatient.

"It means that Harry would be welcomed by the Elves, and he would be allowed to live with them, if he so chose."

"Live with them?" Draco asked, getting worried by the way the Founder wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Yes. It is very rare that an Elf with mixed blood is considered Pure enough to be allowed to make their life with the High Elves. Elmund and Elmerina were twins, yet only Elmerina had a high enough amount of Elven blood to be welcomed by the High Elves. The woman in Harry's dreams is their Seeker. She senses when someone worthy of the High Elves has come into their inheritance, and she Seeks them out and takes them back to the Elven Realm.

"But there is more. Harry cannot bond without the permission of the Elven King and Queen. Since his blood is pure enough, he is considered to be one of their subjects. If he was to bond without the King and Queen's permission, they will either annul the bond, or strip Harry of his Elven Blood and Rights," Rowena said gravely.

"But… that would kill him, wouldn't it?" Draco asked in alarm.

"Yes, it would." Helga nodded, pulling out a handkerchief and burying her face into it.

"But all is not lost," Salazar said calmly from his painting, several snakes were using him as a resting place. "The relationship between the Elves and the Veelas is a good one. To my knowledge, and I admit it is a bit out of date, but still, the two species are close. I am sure they will not object to Harry bonding with a Veela. Especially since they are not calling him to mate with one of their own," he added.

"How do you know they're not?" Draco demanded, getting more and more worried.

"As you know, or at least, you should know, a true Elf is born with a Mate. When both Mates have turned sixteen they become aware of each other. If one of the Mates lives outside the Elven Realm, the one who Seeks his Mate will sing together with the Seeker in hopes of encouraging the one lost to return home. According to Harry, there is only one person singing in his dreams."

"Is that why I have such an easy time accepting that Draco is my mate, although we couldn't stand each other for the past five years?" Harry asked curiously, hoping the answer would help and reassure Draco, whom he could sense was getting more agitated by the minute.

The four Founders shared a look. Even Helga came out of her handkerchief long enough to take part in it. "Quite possibly. How do you feel about Draco?" Salazar asked, figuring he'd better ask the question, seeing as he knew the youth the best. And knowing Harry as well as he did, he was well aware that getting Harry to talk about personal things was just like pulling teeth from a hen.

Harry turned beet red and hid even further in Draco's neck.

"Harry?" Draco asked, getting intrigued by the emotions he felt rolling off the brunet.

Lucius watched the two on the couch and came to a decision. Smoothly he rose to his feet and walked over to the two teens, sitting down by their knees. Placing a hand on Harry's head, he gently began to caress the black mass. "Harry?"

"Okay, this is embarrassing," Harry sighed. Looking up, he locked eyes with Draco, wanting, _needing,_ the blond to know he meant what he was about to say. "I don't know why, but I feel like I can always trust Draco. Trust that he will never intentionally hurt me. I know he will always stand by me and never turn me away. I know he cares for me, a lot. I can feel his… certainty in his feelings, and I only wish I could be as certain of my feelings for him.

"I like him. I know that much. I know I feel much better when he is around. I don't feel so … alone. I also know I want to make him happy, that I want to see him smile, and hear him laugh and hum. I love it when he is singing, that lets me know that he is content. I just wish I knew…"

"Knew what, Harry?" Lucius asked gently, afraid to disturb the mood.

Harry looked up at Lucius, tears forming in his eyes. "I only wish I knew if this means I love him…" he whispered miserably.

Lucius didn't hesitate and pulled the teen into his arms, rocking him gently as the youth began to cry. Draco didn't hesitate either, plastering himself against Harry's back and doing his best to add his love in an attempt to comfort his mate. Severus watched them for a moment before getting to his feet as well. Sensing that the Malfoys needed some privacy, he walked over to his private library, gesturing for the Founders to follow him.

"Right!" he said in a businesslike manner. "After what you told us, Harry is practically a full Elf. What do I need to know when it comes to treating him? Are there any illnesses we need to look out for? What potions are safe to give him, and are there any that would kill him outright?"

HPDM

Harry kept his gaze on the teacup in his hands, toying with it, yet not really seeing it. Once he had stopped crying like a baby, and had recovered enough from his embarrassment from doing so, he had pulled away from Lucius' shoulder, wiping away the tear tracks.

When the older Malfoy was sure he was okay, he had ordered some tea and cake, figuring they could all need a break. Harry had been extremely grateful for the aristocrat's thoughtfulness, but had yet to work up the courage to actually look at anyone.

Feeling Draco's concerned looks, Harry glanced at him through his lashes and gave the Veela a small, strained smile. It was returned tenfold, but for once it failed to make him feel better.

Sensing his mate's discomfort, but not sure how to help, Draco turned to his father to ask the question that been niggling at the back of his mind. "Dad? What is the difference between a High Elf and a Dark Elf? It's been mentioned several times, and I've read a little about them, but I've never understood what separated them."

"The difference is small and yet significant," Rowena answered him, causing those living to look over at her. "All Elves ruled by the Elven King and his Queen are High Elves. However, the people themselves are divided into two. The Dark Elves are the Warriors, the Protectors, and the Builders. Their tempers are more volatile, due to the fact that their magic is tied to their emotions. It makes it easier for them to access it in times of danger, when the one who manages to get their spells out the quickest most often is the winner in any fights or duels. It also helps them when building things, since the more emotion they can put behind their work, the stronger it becomes. That is one of the reasons things built by Elves tend to withstand the wear and tear of time so well.

"That's also why it is very important for them to bond with someone of similar strength. Not to mention that their mate needs a level head, since they often have to step in and calm their mate down to avoid unnecessary explosions.

"A High Elf, on the other hand, is the Healer, the Nurturer, and the Gardener. They are always calm and collected, since they cannot perform their Healing duties otherwise, and as every gardener knows, you cannot rush it when you grow things, or you will be left with weak plants that are useless, and thus are worthless.

"In the beginning, the Dark Elves were called Dark due to their temper and because they tended to be somewhat surly. However, for some reason, Dark Elves tend to have dark hair and deep coloured eyes while the High Elves are blond with paler eye colours. If it is because of their different dispositions or if it is because of something else, I don't know. To my knowledge, no studies had been done on the phenomenon while I was alive. Perhaps something has been discovered during the time I've been dead. I suggest you ask the King once you see him. Perhaps you could take one of my portraits with you? I'd love to have another chance at discussing magic with one of their philosophers. Some of my most intense and interesting discussions about magical theory were with Elves," Rowena said a bit dreamily, remembering past glories.

Harry had listened with growing interest to Rowena's explanations. He had been curious about the difference as well. The few books he'd found and read had been rather vague about all aspects of the Elven people and culture. Most of it had been guesswork by the author. Drinking some of his now lukewarm tea, Harry mulled over what he'd been told. Remembering what the Ravenclaw had said about mates, he was overcome with an attack of the giggles and the tea went down the wrong pipe. Coughing and gasping for air, it took some heavy pounding on his back by Draco to clear his airways again.

"What's so funny?" Draco demanded, once his mate no longer was at risk of suffocation.

"You!" Harry grinned, breaking down in laughter once more.

"What about me?" Draco pouted, once he'd made sure he didn't have chocolate frosting on his face.

"I'm sorry, Draco, please don't be mad, but I was thinking about what Rowena said."

Draco blinked and tried to figure out what Harry was talking about. "So?" he was forced to ask.

"What she said about Dark Elves and their Mates," Harry tried to explain. "How important it was for the Mates to have a level head so they could calm their Elven mate's temper down."

"Again, so?" Draco asked haughtily, lifting an eyebrow. He knew now where Harry was going though, and he could feel a smile trying to break out.

"Forgive me, Draco, but for the past five years I've called you a lot of things, but level headed isn't one of them. Sly, cunning, even rash, but level headed? Nope," Harry said with a bright smile.

"Prat!" Draco said, punching him lightly in the shoulder. "I'll have you know I am the King of maturity and level headedness," he added, holding his nose up high in the air.

That was too much for Lucius and Severus, and the two men began to laugh almost hysterically.

Draco gave them all dark looks before pointedly ignoring them all, turning his attention to his tea and cake.

* * *

**Next Time:**  
A quiet afternoon, a pissed off Weasel, and an outing.  
Until Then… 


	42. Plans for the Future

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

**A/N: **Just to make sure that we are all on the same page when it comes to the age of Lucius and Severus. Yeah, I know, according to Rowling's books there is an age gap of seven or so years between Severus and Lucius. When I began to write this story, I thought the age difference was only two years. When I found out the truth, it was too late. It would completely ruin half of my plot line to go back and change things, sooo, since this is an AU anyway, I have continued with my line of thinking, and even made them the same age to simplify things even more.

**A/N 2:** Ha! I outsmarted FF-net. Yay to me!

Thank you Vaughn for helping me with the grammar. Any mistakes left are my own.

* * *

**Plans for the Future **

"You never told us why you wanted those blasted Muggle papers," Severus said sometime later, when peace and tranquillity had been restored to his rooms.

"Oh yeah. I'd forgotten all about them," Harry said, looking up from where he was snuggled into Draco's shoulder.

Calling the stack of newspapers to him, Severus placed them on the sofa table, a look of distaste on his face. "Well?" he demanded when the explanation wasn't forthcoming quickly enough for his taste.

Harry ducked his head, a sure sign the others had learned that he was uncomfortable or unsure of how his ideas would be accepted. "I wanted to look at the real estate ads. I want to buy a few farms, preferably rundown places no one is interested in. I was going to do this anyway after I graduated. Then we found those seeds. They need to be planted as soon as possible to ensure no more are lost to time."

"Why Muggle farms?" Draco wanted to know. Lucius nodded his head; he too wanted to know the answer to that question.

"Because A, I have no idea how to get hold of a magical farm, and B, this way it can be made Unplottable and no one will know of it. Ergo, no one can sneak in and try and steal what's grown."

"Good thinking, Harry, five points to Slytherin." Severus smirked, earning himself a mock glare from the brunet.

"You said you were going to do this after graduation, but you didn't find out about the seeds until a few days ago. What were you going to use the farms for?" Draco asked, reaching out to pick up one of the newspapers, wrinkling his nose at the thin, strange, _cheap_ paper they were printed on.

Harry's head went down even further. "I was going to organize a group of skilled Herbology experts. I want to send them to the rainforest and gather what plants they could find. Muggle scientists have found that several of the plants growing down there can be used in Muggle medicine. I got to wondering one day what a skilled Potions Master could do with such plants. Not much study has been done on that, as far as I can tell.

"I also wanted to start up a few places where these plants could be grown and maybe improved. I figured I'd need a few places that were, preferably, a bit isolated. Then I could put up Muggle Repellent Charms and such. I was kind of hoping that a few magical animals could find sanctuary on those farms as well," Harry admitted, waiting for the laughter he was sure to come.

It never did.

Severus, Lucius, and Draco shared a look. "I think that is a wonderful idea! It is a pity really that no one has thought of that before. If Muggles have use for those plants, I bet you a thousand Galleons that Severus will be able to use them as well. And do a much better job than those scientists ever could!"

Harry couldn't help but chuckle. Draco was such a snob sometimes! Then again, who wouldn't be, having never lived in the Muggle world and not able to understand it?

"Thank you, Draco, for that ringing endorsement. You are, however, quite correct. If Muggle scientists can use those plants, I should be able to do so as well," Severus mused, settling back more comfortably in his chair, considering this new, exciting prospect. "I wonder why no one has considered the rainforest before? Come to think of it, Longbottom mentioned a few experiments with plants I did not recognize. I wonder…"

"Longbottom, you say? Would that be Reginald Longbottom?" Salazar asked with interest. "He was one of my most brilliant students. He had an almost instinctual understanding of the use of plants in potions. Not as skilled when it came to using animal parts though, for some strange reason, he never quite grasped that aspect of brewing."

"Can you blame him? He was terrified of animals, the poor dear. Alive or dead, it didn't matter, he was just as terrified of them. He couldn't even stand owls, the poor thing. But he was a genius when it came to growing plants. He was one of the most brilliant students I've ever had as well," Helga put in, joining the conversation. "As for why no one's been interested in the rainforest… In our days, it was guarded jealously by a group of strong wizards who attacked anyone as much as passing by their territory. Few dared to venture down there, and those who did were more interested in rare magical beasts than the fragile plant life."

"I guess that makes sense." Severus nodded in agreement. "And the Longbottom I was referring to was Killian Longbottom, your Reginald's great grandson, if I'm not mistaken," he added as an afterthought.

"That group of wizards is long gone now, and I don't think their descendants have maintained their guard duties," Lucius said in a thoughtful tone of voice. "Admittedly, I don't have had much to do with the wizard society of South America, but we are so intertwined today that if such a group was active, we should have heard about it."

Turning to Harry, he regarded the teen with new respect. "This is a very daring, not to mention forward thinking, project you've got here, Harry. I'd be honoured if you'd let me help you put the expedition together. I know just the man who can help us. I believe you have met him? Blond, good looking, not to mention that he is my cousin? He is trustworthy and he knows how to keep quiet. We should start getting this together as soon as possible; there is no reason to wait until after your graduation."

Harry glanced up at Lucius as if to gauge his sincerity. "There is another factor as well," he admitted. "The Muggles are destroying the rainforest at an alarming rate. In a few year's time, there might not be a rainforest left, and all the plants and animals living there will be gone forever if nothing is done. Unfortunately, the Muggle governments aren't that interested in doing anything, and the wizard world acts as if nothing the Muggles do can affect them. Well, it can. I only hope that the day the wizarding world wakes up, they won't react by way of the Dark Lord, and try to go out and kill all Muggles off," Harry said a bit sadly.

"We don't know for sure it will come to that," Lucius said soothingly while Draco wrapped his arms around his mate. "But we can do as you suggested, and preserve what we can. The Malfoy family has a few estates that should be perfect for what you want to accomplish. If you wish, I'd be happy to show them to you, and we can discuss their merits. Your idea of buying rundown farmsteads has merit as well. We are going to need quite a few farms, not to mention a lot of experts to work on said farms. Not to mention that we're going to need quite a few Potions Masters, or at least Potions experts," Lucius added, glancing at Severus, who was deep in thought, a dreamy look in his eyes.

"Then I suggest we start with looking through these deplorable things to get an idea of what's on sale," Draco suggested, grabbing the paper he'd picked up earlier with new gusto. With a bit of luck, and possible a few pouts, he'd convince Severus to take him on as his assistant. That way he'd learn loads, and maybe, just maybe, get his name on a few patents while he worked on reaching Apprentice status, not something many aspiring Potion Masters and Mistresses could boast.

HPDM

"Oh yeah, I've been meaning to ask… What did happen to Josy?" Harry asked later that night, during dinner.

Lucius and Draco shared a look. "We've been so worried about you, she totally slipped our minds," Lucius admitted. "What do you want to happen to her? It was, after all, you she kidnapped."

Harry chewed thoughtfully. "To tell the truth, I'm not entirely sure. Has there been any more attempts to kidnap me? I mean, I can understand, sort of, a concerned relative wanting the best for their family. However, the way she did it, and the way Skeeter blew the whole thing out of proportion, I don't know. I mean, I was hounded by someone who was nutters before, and that was bad enough. They will be crawling out of the woodworks now, in hopes of my helping them further their careers and whatever."

"The standard punishment for that type of crime is a hefty fine and restitution for mental and physical damage to the victim," Lucius said calmly, taking a sip from his vine.

"Let me guess: Mrs. Tiller doesn't have the money to pay her fines. And if I insist, I will become the villain, since everyone now loves Ambrose and his designs," Harry said gloomily, staring down at his plate, toying absentmindedly with his fork.

"I'm afraid so," Lucius agreed.

Draco gave his mate a sympathetic look and gently squeezed his arm.

"But I am not going to let her get away with this! There has to be _some_ sort of punishment we can insist upon," Harry said, getting angry. All his life he had been meek, turning the other cheek. It had gotten him nowhere. It was time to change tack.

"The Muggle world has an alternative to sending someone to jail; it is mostly used on juveniles or in lesser crimes. The offender can be sentenced to do some public service for a set number of hours, to pay for their crime. Does the wizarding world have something similar?"

"It isn't common, but in the past, a few have been ordered to help out at St. Mungo's," Lucius replied after some thought.

"Could we insist on something like that for Josy? After all, she _did_ kidnap me. We can't let something like that to just slide. It would send the wrong message to any one else thinking that such an act would solve their problems," Harry asked, leaning back in his chair, looking expectantly at the older Malfoy.

"I agree with Harry," Draco piped up. "Harry might be the Boy Who Lived, but I think it is high time the wizarding world learned that they can't treat him as their private property. Let's do what Harry suggests. Let's start small, and if they don't get the message, increase the consequences for their actions until they _do_ get it."

"Severus?" Lucius asked the Potions Master, who until now had been satisfied with listening and eating his food.

"I think the boys have the right view on it. Doing nothing will indeed send the wrong message. However, insisting on Mrs. Tiller paying the fees, fees she can't afford, will only backfire on us, making us the bad guys. The public is fickle, after all, and will undoubtedly side with the criminal in this case. Demanding that she pays her dues by helping out at St. Mungo's should make everyone happy, especially since the staff is always overworked and there are a million small tasks that constantly have to be pushed aside for another day."

"Then we agree. I will send word to the Auror in charge of the case and see what she has to say." Lucius nodded in decision.

The meal was finished in amiable silence, and not long after Harry retired for bed, still feeling the effects of having been in a healing sleep for several days. Draco got ready for bed as well, holding the brunet in his arms until he had fallen into a deep sleep.

Once the Veela was satisfied that his mate was resting peacefully, he carefully slipped out of bed, pulling on a robe and a pair of slippers, before going in search of his father.

As he had expected, the two were still sitting in the living room, sipping white wine, and talking quietly. Draco sighed in silent relief and swiftly made his way towards his father and Severus. He was also ridiculously happy that they had decided to stay one more night in the Potions Master's rooms. His and Harry's rooms were nice, but there was a feeling to the dungeons you just didn't get anywhere else in the castle, and Draco found that he missed that.

"Draco?" Lucius asked when he noted his son coming towards them. He looked too calm and collected, so he didn't think there were any problems with his mate. Still, you could never be too careful.

"What are we going to do about the Dursleys?" Draco asked softly, curling up to sit between his two favourite adults, needing to feel their presence tonight. "I can't believe that Dumbledore wouldn't listen to Harry. I mean, they tried to _kill _him!"

Lucius wrapped his arms around his son in an attempt to calm him down. They did not need an outburst of Veela anger at the moment.

Severus sighed and placed a hand on his godson's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Albus is a powerful wizard, there is no denying that. He is also a brilliant strategist, often seeing angles most other people don't. This is one of the reasons he managed to defeat Grindelwald.

"However," he continued, ignoring Draco's indignant spluttering, "he is also old. He is more than one hundred and fifty years old, and I think…. I think that with all his successes, with all his achievements, he has forgotten what it is to be young. He has forgotten that people are not chess pieces. He is so used to getting his own way and being proven he always knows best, he can no longer see that now and then, he is actually wrong. He has been telling everyone that the Dursleys care for Harry, that they love him even, that now when his view of the world and the truth doesn't match, he is choosing to believe his own view of the world rather than the facts.

"Because if he is wrong… if he has judged the situation with the Dursleys wrong, what else has he misjudged? Albus isn't infallible. The wizarding world has looked up to him for so long, I believe he has begun to believe in their beliefs. Think about it," Severus added, growing excited. "Who does he have who dares to disagree with him? Who among his peers dares to contradict him? And get away with it? There is Minerva, but she mostly folds very quickly, especially once she has had an opportunity to make her displeasure known. Mad-Eye Moody also calls him on the carpet now and then, but he is so paranoid that the few times he actually was right was drowned in all the times his paranoia has led him wrong. Then there is me; I have never feared telling Albus my mind. However, I am so beholden to him that he usually walks all over me, no matter how hard I fight him."

Severus looked over at the two Malfoys. "Albus doesn't have an equal who can tell him off when he is wrong, or when he is just being plain stubborn about something. He is so used to being in charge, and always being right, or at the very least mostly right, that he no longer listens when someone tries to show him that he is, in fact, in error. That does not excuse his recent behaviour though, and yes, the Dursleys needs to be dealt with," Severus stated, absentmindedly petting Draco's hair.

Lucius considered what his mate had said, and found that it sounded very plausible. When you didn't have anyone to oppose you and challenge your decisions, you _did_ tend to become complacent and stubborn when it came to your own views. Still, it didn't excuse Dumbledore's behaviour in the least.

But it did give hope for Draco's future, since Harry would always be there to challenge him. And vice versa of course. Lucius had a feeling that once the two had bonded and had settled down and become more secure in each other, then things would truly become interesting. He would have to ensure that he and Severus were around to enjoy the fireworks. Biting his lip in an attempt to bite back his sniggers, he accidentally met Severus' eyes and he just _knew_ his mate was having similar thoughts.

Draco glared at the two men in outrage when they broke down into highly undignified sniggers. What was there to laugh about?

"Sorry, my Dragon. Private joke," Lucius murmured in an attempt to soothe ruffled feelings.

Draco huffed but allowed himself to be pulled back against his father's side. "So… what do we do with the Dursleys? They have gotten away with fifteen years of abuse, which is bad enough, but they tried to _kill._ My. Mate!" he growled angrily, not about to be sidetracked from the true issue.

"Yes, they did, and yes, they will be dealt with," Lucius promised, feeling anger and indignation surge through him. Someone had tried to hurt what was his. Harry was Draco's mate, which made him family! And everyone knew that the Malfoys always looked out for family.

"The question is, what will Harry allow us to get away with?" Severus mused, twirling a lock of Lucius' hair between his fingers. "Something tells me that he will not want the situation to be reported in the papers for everyone to read about. That kind of leaves out the authorities, both Muggle and magical. Then again, with them going way too far, maybe he won't care as long as his relatives pay for what they have done to him."

"Hmmm, I suppose we could always start with pranking them," Lucius mused. "From what Harry has let slip, they seem almost phobic about appearing normal. A few well placed spells and potions should make their life hell. If we are fortunate, they will choose to confess their crimes on their own, just to escape our revenge."

Draco's eyes lit up in pleasure, his agile mind practically whirling with possibilities. "As long as they feel sorry for ever hurting Harry, I don't really care what is done to them. But you are right, Harry, being Harry, wouldn't want anything truly horrible happen to them. Too bad, since I'd love for them to end up in Azkaban for a few years," he added with a bloodthirsty grin.

"To bed with you, you little rascal. Tomorrow will be a busy day, you better get what sleep you can," Lucius said, swatting the back of his heir's head fondly.

Draco stuck his tongue out. Then he chuckled and hugged the two men goodnight. Giving them a merry wave, he disappeared into Severus' bedroom, closing the door almost completely, leaving only a small crack.

"He is maturing into a wonderful young man," Severus noted, feeling a pang in his chest at the knowledge that the boy wasn't his. As he should have been.

"Yes, he is," Lucius nodded, inched closer to Severus, and gently wrapped his arms around him. For once, his prickly mate allowed him to be close, even going so far as to rest his head on a broad shoulder. "Yes, he is," Lucius repeated, working to get the words out through his suddenly thick throat, "and you have done more to ensure that outcome than Narcissa ever did. She never cared for him, and she was his mother. She only bothered with him when she wanted something, or when she wanted to punish me for some transgression or another.

"Never you though. You truly and honestly cared for him, always taking the time to spend time with him, in spite of being busy with your teaching duties and your potions work. You always listened to him, never brushing him off for being childish or immature. Narcissa was his mother, for most parts sharing the same house as Draco, and still you spent more time with him than she ever did. I never thanked you for that, did I? Thank you, Severus, for not deserting me when everything went pear shaped."

Severus gave off a sound that sounded suspiciously like a sob. "Oh, Lucius, how could I? How could I turn my back on the one person who bothered to look beyond the facade I was projecting? That I had been forced to project since far too young an age? You made me care for you. You made me believe in you. I actually fell in love with you, you know."

"Yes, yes, I know," Lucius sighed softly, reaching up to card his finger through Severus' hair, remembering the years they had spent together at Hogwarts. How he had befriended a prickly young boy, who kept everyone at more than an arm's length. Something about him had intrigued Lucius though, and he had kept after the boy, standing up for him and defending him against the Marauders and others the best he could. Afterwards, he often somewhat whimsically thought it was the Veela inside him that had early on recognised his mate, but that was pure nonsense of course. Still, they had been drawn to each other, and Severus had been his best friend ever, long before they became mates. And by some miracle or other, that friendship had survived both their fathers and Voldemort.

"What shall we do about the Elves?" Severus asked sometime later, shattering the comfortable silence the two men had shared and enjoyed.

"What do you mean?" Lucius asked, stiffening slightly. He did not want to be reminded of his son's newest obstacle.

"Don't be obtuse, Luce. The boys can't bond unless Harry gets the blessing from the Elven King. Knowing that boy, he will resist the Seeker's call for as long as he can. The boys are progressing so nicely, I'd hate for it to be stopped short now. They have so much to fight as it is, they shouldn't have to fight their own feelings for each other as well. Harry needs Draco's love and strength. Draco needs to know that Harry won't desert him, leaving him in the hands of someone like Narcissa. There has to be _something_ we can do to help them!" Severus burst out in -- for him -- a rare show of temper.

"Actually, there is," Rowena said, startling the two men, who had actually forgotten that the Founders were even there.

"Oh?" Lucius asked, getting intrigued.

"Yes. My apologies for startling you. We tried to give you some privacy, but when you began to talk about the boys, we just had to listen in," Rowena said, smiling impishly down at them. "The Elven people live in another dimension, one that us wizards can't find or enter unless we have been invited. However, other beings can cross the border with little to no troubles. My suggestion to you is that you write a letter and explain to the king what is going on with Harry. I also suggest that you have your son include a letter asking for his permission to allow Draco to court Harry. That way the boys can continue to grow closer, without the fear that the king will refuse them, thereby stripping Harry of his inheritance."

"Rowena is correct," Salazar broke in, joining the witch in the painting. "From what I have seen of Harry, that boy is already in too deep to break off with his Veela on the say-so of some other. Even if that other is the King of the Elves. He might still be unsure of his own feelings, considering his past, that is understandable, but once his love and affection has been given, he will not be the one to break it off."

Lucius thought the suggestion over, his eyes seeking Severus', wanting to hear his thoughts.

"I don't know Harry as well as I should, but I believe Salazar is correct. Harry is very unlikely to break off his tentative relationship with Draco. I feel that the only reasons for Harry to leave Draco will be if either Draco hurt him so badly that Harry can't forgive him, or if Harry felt that Draco will be safer if he wasn't around Harry."

"That is how I read the situation as well." Lucius nodded. "In fact, the boys have already had a conversation or two about the dangers my son face being mated with Harry. So far, Draco has out-stubborned him," the blond added with a chuckle. "But what magical being do we know that would be willing to take the letters? I doubt an owl would do?"

"No. Most owls wouldn't be able to find their way to the Elven realm, unless they are expected. However, there is always Fawkes."

"Fawkes?" two shocked voices cried out.

"Yes, Fawkes. He was Godric's Phoenix, didn't you know? He chose to stay with the school, bonding with those Headmasters and Headmistresses that he deemed worthy of his help. Or those needing his guidance. I suppose I will have Ric speak with him; there has to be a very good reason why that dust mop hasn't broken off with Dumbledore yet," Salazar groused, turning and stalking away to do just that.

Severus choked at the mere thought of having the grand Phoenix, which he secretly was quite fond of, addressed as a dust mop.

"Don't mind Zar. He loves to be disagreeing," Rowena said with a small chuckle. "He sure made our lives more merry than they would otherwise have been. More difficult as well, I'm sure." She fell silent, losing herself in times past.

Lucius and Severus shared a look, then they left to give the Founder some privacy. "I suppose we should head off to bed as well," Lucius said with some reluctance. He had enjoyed the closeness the two of them had shared that night.

"Yeah. I bet the brats will be up and early. Exuding far too much good cheer and enthusiasm," Severus said dryly, doing his best to sound foreboding and unpleased. He didn't quite manage to pull it off though, and Lucius chuckled, nudging him playfully.

"You love those boys and you know it."

Severus gave Lucius a haughty look. "I know that, and you might suspect it, but there is no need for them to know or suspect it."

"You are getting soft, Sev," Lucius teased, unconsciously leaning forward, his eyes suddenly transfixed on the other man's lips, which was turned into a most alluring sneer.

Severus gave him a dark look. Then he suddenly smirked. Leaning forward as well, he whispered, making sure his breath ghosted over Lucius' ear, "Just wait until next Saturday and I shall show you how 'soft' I have become."

"You bastard!" Lucius groaned, but without any real heat in his voice.

Severus laughed a wicked little laugh that should be outlawed, in Lucius' opinion. Then he winked and almost skipped into his private lab, closing the door smartly after him. Moments later, Lucius felt several strong locking charms going up, making sure he couldn't head after his mate and tell him just what he thought of that little display.

Muttering darkly, the blond aristocrat made his way into the far too empty, far too small guestroom to prepare for the night, just knowing that he would have to deal with the… problem… Severus had left him with before he had even a chance to fall asleep that night.

HPDM

Ron stormed out of the hospital wing, more furious than he had ever been in his life. He couldn't believe the nerve of the twins. The nerve! He supposed he should be thankful that the pus stuff had been charmed not to hit him in the face; he did not want to know what it would have felt like to get some in his eyes. Unfortunately, the Bubotuber pus had landed in enough painful and embarrassing places that that small reprieve was not enough for him to be friendlier towards his brothers.

Pomfrey had had to shave off his hair. His. Hair! He had had to sit there for ours, bald as an egg, to the amusement of Seamus and Dean. To make things worse, that bloody Colin Creevey had come by, armed with his blasted camera! If Ron saw as much as _one_ picture of him with no hair, that boy would not live to see the end of the school year. Hell! He wouldn't live to see the start of the Christmas break!

To add insult to injury, he had been stripped of his clothes down to his waist. Apparently, the pus had been unusually pure, because it had managed to eat through his clothes, causing sores to appear on his chest and arms. The only light in this entire mess was that the table had protected him, so nothing had hit him below his navel. The thought of being hit with this stuff _there_ was too hideous to even think of. He was too fond of it to risk it falling off, or to end up malfunctioning.

Ron glowered darkly, cursing his brothers under his breath.

It had taken the nurse what felt like forever to remove the pus, clean up the wounds, and then encourage them to heal without scarring. His treatment had ended with Pomfrey feeding him a potion that would give him back his hair.

Boy, had the potion worked! He now had hair that reached him halfway down his back! His mother would have a fit when she saw him next. She, who objected to Bill's longer hair style. She would have Kneazles when she saw this. Unless Hermione did find a spell to use. Ron had faith in her, he did. Only, she had never cared much for cosmetic charms. That had always been Lavender's and Parvati's forte, and since Hermione had nothing but contempt for those two girls, mostly because of their infatuation with Professor Trelawney… Maybe he should just ask Lavender if she could help him?

Nah, it wouldn't be worth the hassle. He would just have to wait for Hermione to come through for him. And stay the hell away from Colin and his blasted camera! Thinking of his fellow Gryffindor, Ron felt his mood darken once more, as he remembered sitting half-dressed on a bed in the infirmary, waiting for Pomfrey's potions and whatnot to start working. For once, not even Hermione had managed to make him feel better.

When Ron saw the twins the next time, they would pay. He knew he had threatened them with bodily harm before, but this time he meant it! They would pay! He would find some really nasty spell or potion, and then he would let them have it. They were well overdue for some true payback anyway. Ron still hadn't forgiven them for the time they had turned his teddy bear into a spider.

He would make sure he wasn't alone in meting out punishment either. He would write a letter, that was what he'd do. He would write down everything that had happened since before the school began. Then he was going to send it to every member of his family, including Percy, who, it appeared, had the right idea about Potter all along. Let's see how long the twins would side with Potter when the entire family was on their case!

Smiling smugly, Ron entered the Gryffindor common room, and pointedly ignoring Colin, he stomped up to his dorm, already listing all the things he would say to his family. Maybe he could talk his mother into helping him and Hermione, if it turned out they needed a few more hard to get potions ingredients. A few of the potions Hermione had mentioned had sounded positively wicked! He couldn't wait to try them out on Harry and that prat Malfoy.

He never noted the wicked grin on Colin's face. And he never noted when the blond boy snapped off several photos of his long, curly hair. And he never noticed when Dean and Seamus high-fived each other, sporting similar smug grins. They were not about to forget anytime soon whose fault it was that they had had to spend time in the hospital wing, going through the painful cure for Bubotuber pus, and they would make sure to demand payment for that pain out of Ron's hide. A good place to start would be the circulation of a few photos.

Dean and Seamus shared a look. They could already hear the screaming. Sniggering, they made their way up to the dorm as well. It was past time for bed, and tomorrow promised to be a busy day.

**Day 13: Sunday **

Harry sat bolt up in bed, a scream still clogged in his throat. Looking around wildly, he was relieved to see stone walls and not one sign of his uncle. Wrapping his arms around the top of his pulled up knees, hiding his face within those arms, he never felt the bed shift. He never heard his name called gently, but he did feel the hand that landed on his shoulder. Giving out another scream of pure terror, Harry scrambled away from the bed, falling to the floor in his mad scramble, ending up in a corner, where he curled up as tightly as he could, wrapping his arms around his head, apologising and pleading in the same breath.

Draco watched him in shock, his mate's fright momentarily freezing him in place. Then he exploded from the bed and rushed over to Harry's side, never feeling the cold from the stone floor.

"Oh, Harry, shush now, everything is fine. No one is going to hurt you, I promise," Draco crooned, trying to get through to his mate, who clearly was locked away in some other place, at some other time, and he could _kill_ whoever was responsible for this nightmare.

Unfortunately, Harry only curled up tighter, apparently not hearing a word of what Draco was saying.

Taking stock of the situation, Draco moved forward and enveloped Harry into a hug, hoping that he could reach him that way. The plan misfired when Harry, instead of growing calmer, grew more upset and lashed out at Draco, driving a fist into his jaw hard enough send the blond flying.

"What is going on in here?" Lucius asked, stumbling into the bedroom. He'd had a devilish time falling asleep, and when he finally had -- and was having a very nice dream including Severus and a cauldron of chocolate sauce -- he did not appreciate being woken up just as they got to the nice part.

"Draco?" he added, seeing his son holding his aching jaw, looking a bit wild around the edges. Immediately his eyes went to the brunet, who was now sobbing and murmuring apologies. Guessing what had happened, Lucius called his wand to him and before Draco could stop him, he had doused Harry with cold water.

The cold water did what Draco hadn't. It woke the teen up with a start and an angry exclamation. Looking around in confusion, Harry soon realised what must have happened, and he hung his head, wrapping himself around his knees once more.

Lucius was having none of that, and calmly charmed the youth dry before levitating him back to the bed. Draco was next to him in a flash, pulling him into an embrace, crooning softly into the nearest ear.

Walking over to the bed and settling down on Harry's other side, Lucius said calmly, "I believe we have already had this discussion. Do we need to have it again?"

Harry glanced up at him, clearly confused.

"You are entitled to having nightmares. Salazar knows, it is a miracle you don't have more of them. They don't make you weak. They don't make you a freak either. It makes you human. What you need to do, though, is talk about them. As long as you allow them to haunt you, they will never go away. And we seriously need to talk about the Dursleys. I take it they are behind tonight's episode?" Lucius asked, lifting a well shaped eyebrow.

Harry just stared at the blanket, his fingers playing with it in a nervous manner, refusing to look either right or left.

"I thought you said they didn't hit you," Draco said, his voice taking on a more accusing tone than he'd meant.

Harry flinched. "They didn't," he murmured, colouring slightly.

"No? Then what was that all about then?" Draco asked, gentling his voice with some difficulty; the dark glare from his father that promised retribution if he didn't calm down helped with the motivation. "Why would you cringe in a corner, pleading for mercy, if they didn't hurt you?"

"It wasn't like that." Harry tried to defend his relatives.

"Then what was it like? Help us understand," Draco pleaded, petting his mate wherever he could reach.

Harry sighed and rested his forehead against Draco's shoulder. "The summer after fourth year wasn't… calm," he began, searching for the words that would explain the situation he'd been in. "The summer before I had kind of accidentally blown up my- no, she isn't my aunt. She is Vernon's sister. Anyway, the Ministry people Obliviated her, so she doesn't remember. Unfortunately, Uncle Vernon does.

"They have never been very fond of me," Harry went on, ignoring the snort from Draco, "and the summer after my fourth year was… stained. I was desperate to find out what was going on in our world. Dumbledore didn't allow me to get a subscription to the Daily Prophet, and none of my friends would tell me what was going on. I tried to listen in on the Muggle news, but since Dudley couldn't care less about the news, it was just more proof of my 'freakiness', and Uncle Vernon forbid me near the television or the newspapers. I was actually forced to lie in the flowerbed, under the open window, to listen to the blasted thing," Harry admitted with a rueful chuckle.

Neither Malfoy was amused.

Harry cleared his throat. "Anyway, that summer I was suffering from some pretty bad nightmares. Cedric's death hit me hard, and I didn't have anyone I could talk to. I couldn't exactly go to my relatives. Ron and Hermione were too busy having a blast, helping out the Order of Phoenix, and kept sending me letters that only caused me to be angry. 'Hello Harry, I hope the Muggles are treating you right. Hermione and me are with the Order; sorry, can't tell you where we are. We are helping Mum, sorry, can't tell you with what. Security, you know, can't risk this getting in the wrong hands. Mum is calling, hope you will come here soon, mate. Ron,'" Harry mimicked, reciting one of the many letters he'd received that summer from memory.

"By the time I got to see them face to face, I was bloody furious with them, and not inclined in the least to confide my deepest feelings to them," Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. "When things had calmed down between us, and we were somewhat on even keel again, school had begun and we were fighting the evil Dolores Umbridge, and my nightmares sort of never came up."

"Nice save, love, but you still didn't explain what the Muggles did to cause you to cringe in the corner," Draco persisted, pleased at the way Harry snuggled into his shoulder.

"You are just like a dog with a bone, aren't you? Never letting an issue go," Harry sighed, too tired to get truly upset.

"Hey, you heard the Founders. I am designated to help you with your temper and stuff. I am the levelheaded one," Draco teased, not about to let any of them forget that little fact. Taking heart at Harry's snorted laugh, he ploughed on. "I can't help you unless I know what is wrong. And you need to learn that I am here for you. I can help you, but only if you let me."

Harry sighed, giving the other boy a small squeeze. "I know. It's just hard to break a habit of a lifetime." He sighed once more, gathering his courage. "Uncle Vernon never hit me. Not hit me, hit me," he attempted to clarify, making things as clear as mud. "However, he tended to go ballistic when I woke the house up with my screams. He'd come into my room, shouting and yelling, slapping me around the head… Anywhere he could reach, actually. He even kicked me a few times. I quickly learned that the more I begged for his forgiveness, the less violent he would get. He always did enjoy hearing me beg," Harry mumbled, his gaze unfocused as he remembered past events.

"Never again!" Draco vowed, his eyes promising pain and humiliation to the Dursleys. Harry never saw the look, as he was snuggling into the Veela. Lucius noted though, and his own eyes held the same promise.

"Harry, what did you dream of tonight?" Lucius asked gently, reaching out and placed a hand on the teen's shoulder.

Harry stiffened, pulling away from both blonds. Neither allowed him the retreat. "It was stupid," Harry murmured, not looking at anyone.

"Perhaps it was. It probably wasn't. Nightmares are about events that troubles us. They involve feelings that haunt or scare us. It might seem stupid to me, but I'm sure it isn't to you," Lucius commented calmly, trying to get eye contact with the brunet.

Harry sighed and scooted back until he rested against the headboard. Draco followed him and pulled him back against him, taking note that the dragons didn't bother Harry, but were only too happy to converge on him. He would have to have a little talk to Severus about this. He was Severus' godson, for Salazar's sake! Why were the dragons going after him?

He forgot all about the carvings when Harry finally started talking.

"I am someplace dark. For some reason, it is always dark. The complete darkness where you can't even see your own hand. My breathing is real loud, and it is the only thing I can hear. But I know that there is something out there, just out of reach. Something, or someone. I am never sure which.

"Then the voices begin. At first, there is only a soft mumbling. It is impossible to hear exactly what it is they are saying, and it is almost more scary than being alone in the darkness with an unseen, possible enemy, let me tell you.

"Then suddenly, a voice will suddenly start shouting, and it someone I know. Like my mum, or Cedric. Lately, Sirius has joined in the fray. I told you, it is stupid," Harry mumbled, hiding his face in Draco's chest.

"What are the voices shouting?" Lucius asked, knowing fully well that there was more to the story than that.

Harry considered not answering, but then he made the mistake at peeking up at the aristocrat, and he just knew that Lucius would not allow this to drop until he had all the facts. Sighing gustily, he admitted, "They are telling me what a failure I am. How disappointed I've made everyone. Mum and dad usually go on about how they sacrificed their lives in vain, while Sirius accuses me of having been fooled, falling for Voldemort's trap, which ended up getting him killed."

"Oh, Harry. That was not your fault!" Draco protested, pulling his mate impossibly close. "That was all Voldemort's fault. And Aunt Bella's, and-"

"And Albus Dumbledore's," Lucius cut in smoothly.

"Dumbledore's?" Harry asked, looking up in surprise.

"Yes. He is the head of the Order of Phoenix, is he not? He is the Headmaster of this school, is he not? Yet he allowed himself to be driven from this school by Dolores Umbridge and the Minister of Magic, neither whom has any true power over Hogwarts. He could have had them kicked out within a week, when it was obvious what she was doing. She was here to teach the students Defence, not to sprout propaganda.

"He knew what was going on, and yet he left. He left you isolated and alone, Harry. He didn't arrange for a way for you to contact him, or anyone else high up in the Order. He didn't even leave you with a way to contact Black," Lucius went on relentlessly, pleased to see a thoughtful look in Harry's eyes.

"He knew about the prophecy. He knew the Dark Lord was doing everything within his powers to get it. Sending in henchmen didn't work. The next logical step was luring you there. And yet he didn't warn you. He didn't arrange for any type of communication. He left you to do what you have always done, face Voldemort on your own. Only this time, someone paid the price. It could just as easily have been you or one of your friends. It happened to be Black. Your last link to your parents."

Harry listened carefully to Lucius' words, and he couldn't help but agree with what he was saying. Dumbledore _had_ deserted him, refusing to acknowledge him the entire school year, leaving Harry to struggle alone against too powerful adversaries. Slowly tears filled his eyes, and he looked up at the older Malfoy. "Why?" he asked plainly. "Why did he leave me alone like that? Why did he just up and leave? And why didn't Sirius fight that bitch? Why did he toy with her like that? Why?" he cried angrily, finally voicing the question that had been plaguing him the entire summer.

"I don't know, Loveling, I just don't know," Lucius sighed, pulling the two teens into his strong arms. "I guess with time, we might get that answer out of Dumbledore. As for Sirius Black… maybe he forgot what was going on in the heat of finally facing his cousin. Maybe he allowed the thrill of the fight to get to him. I don't know, Harry, and we probably never will."

"It still sucks!" Harry growled, but his emotional outburst had drained him, and he was starting to fall asleep.

"Yes, child, it sucks. But that is life for you," Lucius murmured, glancing down at the two boys.

Silence fell as the three contemplated the things that had been said. Only when Harry got heavier did Lucius return his focus on the teens, and he smiled tenderly when he noted that the brunet was all but asleep against him. He nudged Draco gently, who took a look as well, before shifting away.

It was a moment's work to move Harry under the covers, and it heartened both Malfoys to see Harry reach for Draco in his sleep. The blond teen was only too happy to wrap himself around his mate, and it didn't take long before both were fast asleep once more.

Lucius, however, found himself wide awake, and he spent a long time just watching over the two boys, contemplating suitable punishments for those who had let Harry down so badly. It was a wonder he had come out as open and loving as he had. They could just as easily have had a new Dark Lord in the making. Lucius shuddered at the thought of Harry and Voldemort working together; they would have been an unstoppable force, one he, for one, did not want to go up against. What in the world had Dumbledore been thinking?

Running a hand through his hair, Lucius slowly got up from the bed. Giving the sleeping teens a last look, he made his way back to his empty bed. Images from his dream danced before his eyes, and the blond couldn't help but sigh sadly.

One week.

One measly week before he and Severus were free to bond, and yet it felt like an eternity away. Slipping under the covers, Lucius made himself as comfortable as he could and did his best to clear his mind. Still, sleep was a long time in coming.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry everyone, but I didn't have room for the outing in this chapter. It will appear in the next one instead. 

**Next Time:  
**The outing. Also, Draco has a bad reaction to a Portkey.  
Until Then…


	43. Property Hunting

**Disclaimers: **I don't own Harry Potter.

Thank you Vaughn for helping me with the grammar. Any mistakes left are my own.

* * *

**Property Hunting**

"Father! You're back! What did he say?" Draco cried, practically ambushing his father the moment he walked through the door to the Potions Master's private rooms.

"He agreed, as long as a Hogwarts' professor accompanies us, for added security," Lucius replied, sending his mate a mischievous glance.

Severus merely snorted and rolled his eyes. He was fully aware to whom _that_ 'honour' would be granted.

"Yay! You'll come with us, won't you, Severus?" Draco asked eagerly, rushing over to his godfather and giving him a bear hug.

"Ooof! Draconus Lufrian Severin Malfoy! You are no longer five years old. Unhand me this instance!"

Draco didn't feel the least repentant, and just squeezed harder for a moment before stepping back, not bothering to wipe his grin from his face. He just looked hopefully up at the man who was the second most important adult in his life.

Harry didn't dare to show his eagerness in such a blatant manner, but he looked up at the man whom he had come to respect more and more these past two weeks, unintentionally sending the Potions Master a puppy dog look.

Severus turned his gaze heavenward, knowing fully well there was no way he could say no to such pleading looks. "As fun as it would have been to foist this duty off on Minerva, I suppose I'd better come with you. This way I can make sure you won't be taken in by some rundown ramshackle or other," he huffed with a longsuffering sigh.

"Your sacrifice is duly noted and will be richly rewarded, my friend," Lucius intoned, unable to resist his urge to tease his friend.

"Sure it will," Severus replied drolly. "Now get out of here, you rascals. Get changed so we can leave. The sooner we get back, the better. Some of us has work to do, you know!"

Draco rolled his eyes, and grabbing hold of Harry's hand, dragged the brunet to the bedroom so they could put on the robes and cloaks a house-elf had brought down earlier.

Lucius stepped up to Severus and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks, Sev. This means a lot to me. And to the boys."

Severus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You saw the look the brat sent me. How was I to say no to that? Besides, the fewer who know what we are up to, the better."

"I guess you can't." Lucius chuckled, all too aware of the power behind Harry's pleading looks. It was fortunate indeed the boy had no idea of the impact his eyes held. Once he realised what a powerful weapon he had at his disposal… It was fortunate that he and Severus were to be bonded soon. He had a feeling it would take the two of them to reign the boys in. "Don't worry, my friend, the sun and the fresh air will do wonders for you."

"Don't push your luck, Luce, or I'll persuade Sybill to go with you. I'm sure her 'Inner Eye' will be of good use to you, with her being able to tell you how prosperous each farm is going to be."

Lucius quickly took a step back. Holding his hands up in an 'I yield' manner, he busied himself with putting on his cloak, making sure the heavy folds fell just right with studied nonchalance.

Severus watched him with amusement shining in his eyes. This was his friend of his schooldays. The fun loving young man who didn't hesitate to prank teachers on a dare. Not the cold-hearted bastard he slowly had morphed into once his happiness had been robbed from him and the only light in his bleak existence was his son. It was good to have his old friend back. The gods be willing, he'd soon have much, much more than that.

HPDM

"So, what did you have to do to get Dumbledore to agree to this outing?" Harry asked, sending the blond aristocrat a shrewd look as they walked outside. Harry paused for a moment at the top of the stairs, tilting his face towards the sun. It was good to be away from the stone walls and to feel the wind on his face again.

It was a perfect fall day, with a blue sky, plenty of sunshine, and only a hint of a breeze in the air. Tilting his head further back, Harry felt his spirits rise, and he realised with a start just how much time he had spent indoors lately. When Dumbles took it upon himself to remove their horses, Harry just hadn't felt in the mood to head out anymore. It didn't exactly help that he had spent the last few days in a Healing sleep, deep down in the dungeons. Apparently, his Elven blood demanded he spend some portion of each day outside if he was to remain healthy.

Pulling himself together, Harry started walking down the steps, when he paused once again. Would it be enough if he spent some time each day in his conservatory? It didn't have sunshine per se, but it did have plenty of plant life. Or maybe he could gather a few of his friends together and play some friendly Quidditch? Draco would probably agree with that, especially if he knew the reasons behind it. Ginny would probably be interested also, giving her a chance to brush up on her Seeker skills, giving him an opportunity to try his hand at being a Beater -- ever since Oliver had introduced him to Quidditch, he'd wanted to try that position out. If nothing else, it should be a good way to release some tension.

"Such deep thoughts, love, care to share?" Draco asked with a teasing smile, nudging his mate in the shoulder in an attempt to get him walking again.

"Hmmm? Oh, sorry." Harry blushed and ducked his head as he realised that the others were not so patiently waiting for him. "Just enjoying the sunshine; I'm sorry for keeping you waiting," he added sheepishly, moving quickly to catch up with the two older men, who were heading for the front gate of the school, and the end of the wards.

"So, what did Dumbledore have to say?" Harry asked again, once he was walking next to Lucius once more.

"Plenty," Lucius replied wryly. "After giving me a not so friendly greeting, he gave me his most disapproving look and said:

'Should I, by your visit, assume that young Harry is feeling better? He has been missing for quite some time now. Would you care to fill me in on what happened? I tried to visit him, but Slytherin had left his post and I couldn't gain entrance. I'm afraid that I must insist on something being done,' Albus added, looking sternly over his glasses.

'Of course. Allow me to offer my apologies on the behalf of my son and his mate,' I said with a regal nod, enjoying the small twitch that flickered across the aged man's face each time I pressed the point of Harry being a Veela's mate. 'But the allergy Harry has developed since his birthday made it quite difficult to heal him. He reacted badly to one of the potions Severus gave him and he has spent most of the time sleeping, giving his body time to recuperate. We chose to put them in isolation, as it would put the least strain on the pair,' I said solicitously, having no qualms about lying to one of the most powerful wizards to his face. When you were used to dealing with the Dark Lord, the attempts of others to intimidate tended to fall rather short.

Besides, all I had to do was think of the emotional scars Harry was carrying around because of this man's callous attitude, and I had no problem doing everything it took to give the child some happiness. After all, the boy asked for so little.

'However, they have now recovered nicely, and to tell the truth, they are becoming a bit stir-crazy, having been cooped up for so long. I figured a small outing would put their spirits to right and should lessen the strain on their environment when they return to class tomorrow,' I went on, dangling the nice carrot in front of the old man's face.

Dumbledore frowned, but there wasn't much he could say to that. He was only too familiar with Harry's temper and he needed to keep it away from the student body for as long as possible. Not only couldn't he risk Harry hurting anyone with his tantrums, fuelling the old rumours that Harry Potter was a spoilt brat and an attention seeker, which Fudge had initiated with his newspaper campaign, but he had Molly Weasley to consider as well. She was stirring up trouble within the Order, and it wouldn't take much for the situation to blow up unpleasantly in their faces. He hadn't realised how badly some of the members hadtaken the smear campaign Fudge had launched a few years back. He would have thought that incident long past and forgotten by now. He must have been badly mistaken on that point, if Molly could stir them up with such ease. Leaning back in his chair, he considered his options.

'Very well, Lucius. I will allow this outing of yours, on the condition that you take one of the professors with you. Harry is too valuable to risk to poor security. I'd offer a few of my Order members, but…'

'We don't want to attract unwanted attention. I understand fully, Headmaster. And I thank you. I know both Harry and Draco will be extremely thankful for your kindness.' I nodded my head regally once more and turned away to leave, never having bothered to sit down in the monstrosity that tried to pass itself off as an armchair.

'One more thing, Lucius, before you leave. I'm afraid that I really must insist on you putting up a painting or two in the boys' private rooms. The staff must have access to all quarters where students reside. I have allowed things to slide a bit, considering the newness of the bond between Harry and Draco, but recent happenings have hammered home the importance of allowance to enter by outsiders. That is why I must insist you change your door guard. Salazar Slytherin is not suitable for such a task. He is, after all, one of the Founders, and deserves more respect from us than being put to such a menial task. I must therefore ask you to either put back the original guard or use Sir Cadogan, who was happy to volunteer to act as a door guard.'

'I shall inform the boys of your wishes. As for the painting inside the rooms, there is no need for you to worry. Suitable portraits have already been selected, and they will put up later today. If that was all…?'

'Yes, yes. And thank you. This will make things easier for the staff.'

Harry just stared at Lucius, not sure which emotion to let out first. "He actually had the gall to use the _staff_ as an excuse to get what he wanted?" he eventually asked with disbelief.

"He most certainly did." Lucius nodded. "And all I could think of was him with frizzy hair, in some ghastly colour, squawking due to too tight underwear."

Harry and Draco shared a glance, and then they were laughing, almost hysterically.

"We, we have to ask Zar if there are any photos of that event," Harry gasped, leaning heavily against Draco, who was leaning just as heavily against Harry.

"I find his attempts to force you to get rid of Salazar much more worrying," Severus said, having focused on another part of the conversation between Albus and Lucius. "It is almost as if he _wants_ you to fight him on this. I mean, Sir Cadogan? That menace is even less suited to be a door guard than Salazar Slytherin!"

Harry sobered quickly and straightened slightly, tilting his head to the side. "I guess I didn't think of that. But yeah, when he was guarding Gryffindor Tower, after the Fat Lady had had her painting slashed in our third year, some of the students had a devil of a time getting inside. No, he isn't one I would want guarding our door, no."

"We can think of ways to thwart the old coot later," Draco said somewhat forcefully, not happy to see the light in Harry's eyes dim. "Come on, we have places to see, things to do. Surely old Dumbles will keep?"

"You are quite right, son," Lucius nodded, having seen some of the happiness drain from Harry as well. "We should be far enough away from the wards for the Portkey to work. Gather around, everyone. Let this adventure commence!" he said somewhat whimsically, earning himself a startled look from Harry, a laugh from his son, and a dirty look from his mate. Life was good.

Harry had far less cheerful thoughts as he took his place in the circle, reaching out to place two of his fingers on the Portkey the men had created the previous night. Ducking his head, hoping no one would pick up on his unease, Harry did his best to brace himself, and to battle down the nausea and the memories that always washed over him every time he used one of the damned things.

HPDM

The four of them landed with a soft thud, and Harry immediately doubled over, fighting to keep the contents of his stomach on the inside, where it belonged. Reaching for something to cling to, he latched on to the first warm thing his fingers encountered. Merlin how he hated those blasted things!

"Harry?" Draco asked, getting a bit worried. His mate had gone pale and green and he didn't seem to be aware of his surroundings. Then there was the death grip Harry had on his arm. "Harry, love, are you alright?"

Harry nodded, having finally won the battle over his stomach. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just really, really, abso-posi-you better believe it hate Portkeys!" he groaned.

"Why?" Draco asked in confusion.

"Because of the third task," Harry said, looking down at the ground, unable to meet anyone's eyes, not wanting to see the contempt he was sure was there.

"The third...? Oh. No wonder," Draco murmured, giving the other boy a hug.

"I am going to teach you how to Apparate first chance I get," Lucius promised, patting Harry's shoulder in apology, while Severus spent several moments mentally grinding Albus Dumbledore down into potion ingredients. It was an old exercise that usually calmed him in times of great stress. He would never actually do it of course. No sense in wasting time brewing potions using worthless ingredients, after all.

"Wasn't your fault, Lucius. Besides, I have to get used to using those blasted things sometime, might as well be now," Harry said, shrugging his shoulders fatalistically.

All three of his companions frowned at this, but did not comment. There would be time later to talk about the teen's issues. Unfortunately, there was no way around the use of Portkeys today. The instructions in the papers had been detailed enough to enable Lucius and Severus to make the things, but since their source was several Muggle newspapers, the details weren't enough to ensure a safe Apparation.

Placing a comforting arm around the two teens, Lucius vowed to take Harry back to Hogwarts if it all became too much and have Severus and Draco visit the remaining farms on their own. He was now extremely happy he'd had the forethought of bringing a camera along. Wanting to take Harry's mind off his unpleasant memories, he turned the three of them around so they could better see the farm they were interested in.

The farmstead was situated next to the New Forest, and it had been abandoned for close to sixty years, and it showed. The place was in shambles. Windows were broken, roof tiles were missing, the doors were nothing but rotting wood, and the walls were not in much better shape. The gardens were overgrown and filled with weeds and wild herbs.

"I like it!" Harry declared, not seeing the current mess, but the potentials. "Just look at this place. Look at that orchard! You could grow a million things here! The house is large, and could easily be made larger. A part of the forest is included in the lands, right?"

"Yes, quite a bit actually, but you are not allowed to harvest it, it is protected by law. In fact, you're not allowed to as much as touch it. I'm guessing that is part of the reason this place is still on the market," Lucius commented, trying to see beyond its pitiful state. It wasn't easy.

Draco,for his part, was wrinkling his nose and couldn't understand why Harry was so excited about it. It was nothing but a ruin, for Salazar's sake!

Severus was also taking a slow look around and he too liked what he was seeing. He could sense a vague magical feeling in the air that told him that somewhere close by, magical herbs of some sort were growing, and it wouldn't surprise him if he were to find traces of some sort of magical beast either. This place would fit perfectly with Harry's wishes for a magical sanctuary, and he said as much, earning himself a disbelieving look from Draco and a happy, grateful one from Harry, while Lucius just looked amused. Severus ignored him and went towards the forest to investigate it closer.

Harry looked between the two blonds and the Potions Master stalking towards the forest's edge. Making up his mind, he raced after Severus, eager to see firsthand what the man discovered. This place was talking to him and he was already determined to become the new owner.

Severus gave Harry a fleeting glance when the youth caught up with him, but otherwise he did not acknowledge his presence.

HPDM

"Dad, how long are we going to stand around here like a couple of idiots and wait for those two?" Draco whined half an hour later. His mate had been gone _forever_ and it didn't look like he was going to return anytime soon. If he and Severus were going to check out each property _this_ close, they'd never return to Hogwarts!

"Patience, son," Lucius admonished lightly. "If you are that eager to get out of here, why don't you go find them and hurry them along?"

Draco shot his father a disbelieving look. "You know what Severus is doing in there, right? He's looking for and probably is in the process of harvesting some herb or other, and you want me to 'hurry him along'? Are you insane?"

"There have been times over the years I've asked that question myself," came Severus' amused voice from behind them. "What has he done now?" he asked, looking down at his godson.

"_I_ did nothing more than sitting here, waiting for you two," Lucius drawled, getting up from the rock he'd been perched on, removing the cushion charm with practiced ease. "Any luck?"

"Yes, actually. I found several rare herbs that we should cultivate once we own this place. There were also some traces from what I believe are Hippogriffs, and Harry found that," Severus said, indicating the feather his companion was holding.

Stepping closer to where Harry was standing, Lucius accepted the feather and examined it closer. "It look likes a Cockatrice."

"My thought exactly." Severus nodded while Draco looked a little ill. Hippogriffs he could handle, but _Cockatrices_? Those things were a menace, and the two brunets looked _happy_? When had they begun to channel Hagrid?

Harry was indeed bouncing happily on the soles of his feet. "Great! I bet that once we've put up some wards, more animals will come here and settle down, especially once they realise we mean them no harm. And I bet you, you could seed a lot of rare plants and herbs in there and then sit back and watch them grow. Maybe even reintroduce a few of the things we found in that trunk? I am _definitely_ buying this place. Where to next?"

Harry's enthusiasm was catching and even Draco found himself caught up in it as they prepared to go to the next farm. Hoping to counter some of the reactions to Portkey travel, he wrapped himself around his mate as they touched the next one.

HPDM

That afternoon, a happy as a clam Harry returned to Hogwarts, followed by two bemused Malfoys and an equally amused Snape. Harry was practically dancing in happiness. They had selected ten different estates to look at, situated all over Britain. As Professor Sprout had shown, the climate didn't matter much if you grew your plants in greenhouses. Especially if those greenhouses were charmed to mimic a certain climate.

Entering Hogwarts, Harry's mind swam with ideas and possibilities. He knew he was about to embark on a very ambitious project. But if his plans were to come together… Why, just think of all the good things that might come out of it. He hadn't been kidding when he told the others that he was concerned about the destruction of the Earth that the Muggles were involved in. It amazed and frightened him how ignorant wizards could be about what was happening in the world around them. As if they had depended so long on magic, they just couldn't comprehend that some things not even magic could fix.

And to think he had Voldemort to thank for this new level of understanding of the world around him. His new outlook on things began the summer before last, when he had spent most of his time desperately trying to listen in on the news, and thinking up ways to smuggle that day's newspaper up to his room for him to peruse.

He hadn't found out much about the Dark Lord and what he was up to, but he had snapped up news about the Muggle world, and more serious matters than budgies being able to water ski. Harry snorted softly as he remembered the news reporter present _that_ piece of news.

He quickly grew serious again. Harry had never cared much about the state of the world. He had been far too busy working on staying alive and out of the Dursley's way to care much whether there was a famine in Africa, a flood in Asia, or a bushfire in the United States.

However, that summer had opened his eyes. He had scoured every bit of news he could get his hands on, looking for a deeper meaning behind the news he did get, looking for anything that hinted about Death Eater activities. There is only so much you can obsess about something though, and in an attempt to distract himself, he had pondered the different things he'd read and heard. And so ever slowly, he had come to a realisation.

The magical world might be hidden from the Muggle world, but everything that was happening in the Muggle world affected the magical one. They weren't two separate entities, no matter how much some Purebloods seemed to wish it. As one ad had stated, One Sky, One Ocean, One Planet linking them together.

One Planet.

They all shared the same planet. And the Muggles were poisoning and slowly killing that one planet. And no one was doing anything to stop it. The Muggle governments were too busy squabbling over money issues and about just how much danger the planet was in to actually _do_ something, and the magical world was sticking their heads in the sand about more things than whether You Know Who had returned or not. One of these days, and soon, they would all have a very nasty awakening, and Harry feared that by the time the alarm finally rang out over the world, it would be far, far too late to actually do something.

That was when Harry had decided to do something. He would not be like everyone else, pretending that everything was fine when it clearly wasn't. Of course, he hadn't thought he would be able to actually do something until after he'd graduated, but he had plotted and planned, and even written a will, instructing the Goblins at Gringotts to create several trusts and whatnot to ensure that his dream didn't die with him.

But that had all changed. He had the Malfoys behind him now, and even Severus Snape. Between them, they should be able to entice enough people to set things into motion. Once the magical world woke up and realised that something new and exiting was going on, they should have much of this new market cornered, leaving the decision of future expansions firmly in their hands.

Harry was also hoping that this would give those cast out by the wizarding society a sanctuary. An opportunity to give at least a few a way to support themselves, by taking care of Harry's different properties. A werewolf was fully capable of working for most of each month, and even if there wasn't many who were skilled in Herbology or Potions, they could still help in keeping the different properties in working order. Many times when he had spent a free afternoon drinking tea with Hagrid, Harry had listened to the man telling him of his different duties as the Keeper of the Keys and Grounds of Hogwarts. He had even accompanied the half-giant sometimes, when he was doing a few of his less dangerous tasks.

Those tales had shown Harry that there was more to keeping things in a working order than he had ever imagined. Hagrid was the one who made sure that the grounds were ploughed and prepared for planting each spring. He was the one who made sure the earth was nurtured, and the right composts were added when needed. He was the one who took care of many of the animals that resided in the Forbidden Forest, making sure that they had food and nursing them back to health when needed.

Harry had slowly come to realise that there was much more to Hagrid than the easy going, monster loving, and dragon crazy giant of a man the brunet had first seen in his first year. Purebloods like Draco Malfoy might scoff at him, might even despise him, but the fact remained that things would not be as smooth as they were, if it wasn't for the efforts of one friendly half-giant.

Harry wanted to take that newfound knowledge with him when he established his farms, giving an opportunity for those considered outcasts a chance to earn their living honestly with work they could be proud of. Magical animals weren't the only ones who needed a sanctuary; besides werewolves, there were the Vampires, and other so called Dark Creatures. After all, the experts Harry was hoping to hire couldn't be expected to do everything on their own. If they did, they'd be too busy to actually do the work they'd been hired to do, cultivating and experimenting with the different plants.

Feeling his resolve firm with new determination, Harry went over the ten different farms they had visited in that day in his mind. They had all been isolated places, abandoned and run down in varying degrees. Six of the estates had been more or less what they had been looking for, and Lucius had promised he would venture out the next day and buy them for him. He would also look into future prospects, and establish a contact with a Muggle agent once he found one he felt was trustworthy. They would also need to look abroad; Harry wasn't about to place all of his eggs in the same basket. Besides, he couldn't very well demand that every expert relocate to Britain, now could he? Especially not as long as Voldemort was running around loose, stirring up troubles.

"Come on, Harry, stop walking around with a silly grin on your face!" Draco complained, pulling rather insistently on Harry's arm. "I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Breakfast was ages ago and we've missed lunch because _someone_ insisted on looking at every nook and cranny. If you've seen one ruin, you've seen them all, if you ask me," he added with a pout.

Harry was brought back to earth with a thud, and glancing over at the pouting Veela, he couldn't help but chuckle. Draco would probably kill him slowly if he ever told him to his face, but the blond boy was actually very cute when he was pouting like that.

"Poor Draco, let me make it up to you," Harry said with mock sympathy, moving closer to Draco with a gleam in his eyes.

Draco's breath hitched. "Make it up to me?" he asked, his mind spinning with possibilities, and his libido sitting up and paying attention.

"Yeah," Harry breathed, leaning forward so that his breath ghosted over the blond's ear. "How about I ask Dobby for all of your favourite Chinese food?" Harry asked teasingly, pressing a quick kiss to Draco's ear, before rushing up the stairs, his face red with embarrassment at his own boldness.

For a moment, Draco just stood there, unable to comprehend what had happened. Then he broke out into a big smile, whooped with joy, and took off after his mate.

"Were we ever that young and foolish?" Lucius asked with amusement, watching as his son raced up the stairs at a neck breaking speed. He sent a silent prayer that the staircases would behave themselves, or Draco might pummel to an early and most unfortunate death.

"Probably," Severus allowed, coming to stand next to the older Veela. "Not that I remember us ever behaving in such a childish, undignified manner," he deadpanned, turning around to head down to his beloved dungeons.

"Oh, I'm sure we weren't as bad as those two," Lucius hastened to assure the Potions Master, knowing fully well that he was lying through his teeth.

Severus glanced over his shoulder, but refrained from making any comments. He merely smirked knowingly, before refocusing on getting back to his rooms using the quickest route possible. It had been a nice outing, but he was relived to be back inside the stone walls of Hogwarts. He was doubly relieved that Harry had been deemed healthy enough to enable the boys to return their own rooms.

He loved Draco to death, and Harry was growing on him, still… He had led such a solitary life for so long that sharing close quarters with two excited boys had taxed his nerves rather badly. This outing had done nothing to lessen that strain, and he was looking forward to a stiff drink and some tinkering in his lab. Stepping through the door to his private rooms, Severus was unable to stifle a sigh of contentment. Home sweet, _silent_ home.

Lucius sent his mate an amused look, but did not comment on the feelings he could feel coming off the other man. It was wonderful to have this level of connection back, and for the moment, it was enough.

HPDM

Lucius was just about to leave the chamber, portraits shrunk and placed in different pockets, when a panicked call came through his necklace.

"Harry?" he asked aloud for Severus' benefit, grasping hold of the pendant.

"Oh, Gods, Lucius. Draco, he… he just vanished. It must have been a Portkey. But I thought my mail and stuff were checked for such things?"

"Harry, Loveling, calm down. Let go of the necklace and I will attempt to contact Draco, alright? Severus will be with you shortly. Just try and calm down; can you do that for me?"

"Okay," came the pitiful reply before the connection faded away.

"Lucius?" Severus asked in concern. Something bad must have happened; the question was what?

"It looks like another Portkey made it to the boys, only this time Draco is the one caught up in it. Draco, son, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Father. You'll never _believe_ where I am right now!"

"Where?" Lucius growled, not in the mood for guessing games. Someone had dared to lay their hands on his son.

"Aunt Cerise!"

"That bitch! Stay right where you are, I'm on my way!"

"Lucius! What's going on? Where's Draco? Is he alright?"

"I don't know how or why, but he's apparently visiting my soon to be dead sister in law, Cerise Malfoy. Here, take the paintings up to Harry, the poor boy must be frantic by now. We will join you as soon as I've dealt with that bitch," Lucius snarled, pushing the portraits into Severus' hands, before storming outside the castle.

The Potions Master watched him leave, a frown of concern on his face. Looking down, he noted the miniaturized painting of Helga Hufflepuff he was holding, and with a start, he remembered Potter. Putting the portraits away, he quickly made his way to the teen. He must indeed be frantic by now, especially since the Portkey, in all probability, had been meant for him.

* * *

**A/N:** Did anyone by any chance recognise the expression Harry uses about Portkeys? If you did, then you know what I like to do when I'm not writing, lol. 

**Next Time:**  
The kidnapping and what happened afterwards  
Until Then…


	44. A Second Kidnapping

**Disclaimers:** I don't own Harry Potter, a fact that makes me very sad. Sniff.

**A/N:** Phew, I made it! It is still Monday, well at least it is still Monday here in Sweden. Would you believe that my computer chose today of all days to start acting up? It took me forever to straighten it out! Pouts. Anyway, here is the next chapter; I hope you will enjoy it.

As always, a big thank you to Vaughn for her help with the grammar.

* * *

**A Second Kidnapping**

It was with a laugh that Harry and Draco tumbled inside their rooms. Bouncing with happiness, Harry went into his bedroom to put his cloak and outer robe away, before calling Dobby to ask him for the promised meal. His eyes were on the clasp holding his cloak together; it had snagged on something and was giving him some trouble, Harry did not look where he was going. Almost bumping into his bed, he stopped just in time to save himself a busted knee, all his focus on what he was doing until the clasp was finally free.

Looking up, the first thing that met his astonished gaze was a beautiful crystal vase filled with the most wonderful deep red roses he'd ever seen, standing on the bedside table on the other side of the bed. Throwing down the cloak carelessly, not caring one bit about wrinkles, Harry flew back out of his room, calling Draco's name.

"Harry?" the Veela asked, coming back out of his bedroom, wondering at the joy and happiness he heard in Harry's voice. "Ooofff," he added involuntarily as a lithe body glommed itself against his in an enthusiastic hug.

"Thank you, Draco! Thank you so much! They are wonderful! Where ever did you get them? They are lovely! I've never seen such beautiful ones before. How did you know they are my favourite? Why didn't you give them to me in person? I wouldn't have turned you away," Harry asked, finally pulling himself away from his… what? Boyfriend?

Draco was feeling extremely confused. On one hand, he was loving every second of Harry's happy hug, but the stream of words pouring from him didn't make one lick of sense. "Love? What are you talking about?" he asked, pushing a lock of hair away from his mate's forehead.

"About the roses," Harry replied in confusion. "They are from you, right?" Seeing the incomprehensible look on the blond's face, Harry felt some of his happiness die away. He should have known. The flowers weren't from Draco. Turning away so the tears of disappointment couldn't be seen, he slowly moved away from the embrace. _Of course,_ the flowers didn't come from Draco. Why should the Veela do something like that?

"I'm sorry, love, but no, the flowers aren't from me," Draco whispered softly, his heart aching at the sorrow and disappointment he could feel come off the smaller teen. That ache soon turned into a blazing fury. Someone had dared to hurt his mate. Worse, someone had dared send _his_ mate flowers. He would find out who that person was, and then he would pay them a little visit at midnight and curse them so bad their great grandchildren would feel it!

Storming into Harry's bedroom, murder in his eyes, Draco saw literarily red when his gaze took in the lovely bouquet of red roses. How _dare_ they! With a roar of anger, the Veela threw himself across the bed and picked up the vase, intending to throw it into the wall. Before he could, the back of his fingers brushed against one of the flowers, and the next thing he knew, he felt the tug behind his navel, and he no longer was at Hogwarts.

Cursing violently, Draco threw the vase the moment the Portkey effect released him. At least it wasn't Harry this time. He didn't think he could survive a second kidnapping of his mate. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself down, Draco looked around in an attempt to figure out where he was.

The room was tastefully done in shades of blue and cream, but a thin layer of dust and the somewhat musty air spoke of the room's disuse. The main focus was a large bed, its head- and footboard were covered with carvings of cherubs and cupids. Taking a second, more closer look around, Draco suddenly came to the shocking understanding of where he was. With that realisation came a fierce blush.

He was inside a Honeymoon suite.

Someone was going to get _hurt_ for this!

Careful not to touch anything, Draco made his way towards the door. He needed to get _out_ of here, preferably before he was accidentally caught up in the spell works. Before he could open the door, however, it was flung open and two children were gazing expectantly up at him.

"See? I _told _you he'd come!" one of them said triumphantly to the other.

"But what took him so long? We sent those roses _ages_ ago!" the other whined. "Um, sis, doesn't Harry Potter have dark hair?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, he does," Draco drawled, belatedly remembering to draw his wand.

"Then who are you?" the first speaker cried out, her eyes widening almost comically in horror.

"Your worst nightmare!" Draco hissed, advancing on the two children, twirling his wand threateningly.

The boy and the girl shared a look, took one step backwards and shouted, "Mum!"

There was a faint crack of someone Apparating and then a stern woman glared down at her children. "Alright, what did you do now?"

"Kidnapping, by looks of it," Draco drawled from behind her.

Turning around, the woman's eyes widened in shock. "What are you doing here!" she demanded in outrage.

"I believe that is a question for your children, ma'am." Draco sneered. The woman looked vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place where he'd seen her before. He was, however, distracted from his thoughts by the sound of his father's voice calling him.

"Draco, son, can you hear me?"

It was with relief that he clasped his necklace. In his eagerness to get out of the honeymoon suite, he'd forgotten all about it. Berating himself mentally, he grasped the pendant and replied, "Yes, Father. You'll never _believe_ where I am right now!" not bothering to hide the fact that he was in contact with his father from his kidnappers. Let these cretins worry. They should. It was they who had decided to mess about with a Malfoy, after all. They would now pay for that privilege, and Draco intended to enjoy every moment of it.

"Where?" came Lucius' growl at the back of his mind. Ho boy, his father was _not_ in a good mood.

Draco was about to reply when the sneer on the redhead's face finally caused him to remember who she was. "Aunt Cerise!"

"That bitch! Stay right where you are; I'm on my way!"

The awareness at the back of his mind was suddenly cut off, and Draco found he missed the reassuring presence.

"Alright, you two, tell me everything! What is he doing here? What have I told you about contacting that lot? They will take you to You Know Who faster than you can blink!"

"Hey!" Draco cried out indignantly.

"But Mum! _He_ wasn't supposed to be here!" the boy whined.

Draco made a face. That boy seemed to do nothing but whine. It was _very_ annoying.

"Then who, exactly, was supposed to be here?" Cerise asked impatiently. She did not like her late husband's family, and it had been a nasty shock to suddenly come face to face with her nephew. Worse, this meant her brother-in-law would soon show up.

"Harry Potter," the girl answered calmly.

"Harry Potter," Cerise repeated, feeling faint. "You arranged for Harry Potter to come here, to our home. In Merlin's name, why?"

"That is a question I would like the answer to as well," came the lazy drawl of Lucius Malfoy.

"Dad!" Draco cried out in relief. He had been fairly certain he could handle his aunt by himself, but it was very reassuring to have his father at his side. Just in case.

"Son, fancy meeting you here," Lucius said dryly, looking around the room his son was standing in with both amusement and dread. Trust Draco to end up in a mess like this. Lucius breathed a silent sigh of relief that it hadn't been Harry that had been kidnapped this time; at least he could trust Draco not to touch anything.

Lucius frowned mentally; he could trust his son on that account, couldn't he? "Please tell me you haven't touched anything."

Draco shook his head fervently.

"Good. How about we move this discussion somewhere a little less… dangerous?" Lucius suggested, but the steel in his voice made it clear he expected to be obeyed immediately.

Cerise Malfoy huffed in annoyance, but led the way to a small yet tasteful parlour. "I suppose you're expecting tea?" she sneered, giving the Head of the Malfoy family a nasty look.

"It is what hospitality dictates. However, since you have never been much for etiquette, I'm sure we will manage," Lucius said, settling comfortably into a chair, not waiting to be asked.

Cerise's face grew an unhealthy shade of red, and Draco idly tried to remember if she was in any way to the Weasleys. Following his father's lead, he too settled into a chair, keeping his wand within easy access.

Shaking with rage, Mrs. Malfoy called for a house-elf and snarled at it to bring some special refreshments.

The creature cringed in fear and popped away with a deep bow. Moments later, it returned with a small tray, containing only a teapot and a few cups. It was clear his aunt had no intention to perform beyond what the minimum of hospitality dictated.

"So," Lucius stated once he was holding a cup of weak tea in his hands. "What prompted you to bring Harry Potter here? Why not just write him a letter and ask him to visit?"

"I apologise for the inconvenience, but it was just a childish prank," Cerise cut in before her children could utter a word. "You know how children can be…"

"I'd like to hear what the children have to say," Lucius stated, sending his sister-in-law a dirty look. He had never liked the woman and he had never understood why his brother had married her. He had never found any proof, but he couldn't shake the feeling that she was the one behind his murder a few years ago.

"We read in the papers that Harry Potter was the mate of Cousin Draco, and we figured he could help Cecily," Caroline piped up before her mother could stop her.

"And why would Cecily need help? And why didn't you turn to me? I am, after, all the Head of this family," Lucius asked curiously.

"Is it that nonsense again? I've told you! She is fine! She will soon forget that boy and find someone else!" Cerise snarled, sending her daughter a look that promised retribution once they were alone.

Not liking what he was seeing one bit, Lucius stunned the woman and turned back to the children. "What about Cecily?" he asked gently.

"She turned sixteen two months ago," Caroline said softly, looking down at her fingers.

Lucius nodded his head in encouragement. He could still remember how excited his brother had been that their firstborn were born on practically the same day. It had been his fondest dream that the two would grow up together, being the best of friends, as their fathers had been. Lucius had not been adverse to the idea, but their respective wives had done everything they could to make sure the dream was not fulfilled.

Turning his mind away from the sad memories, Lucius focused on the here and now.

"She came into her inheritance," Caroline all but whispered, sending fearful looks at her mother.

"You mean she is part Veela?" Lucius asked, just to make sure. He wasn't surprised. Although the Veela Blood had skipped his brother, the Blood was strong in the Malfoy family, and he had expected at least one of the children to inherit the trait. He'd been so busy with Draco and his own suffering though, that he'd totally forgotten to inquire about Cecily. An unforgivable crime, and it looked like his niece was paying for his oversight.

"Yes. Three weeks ago, she met this boy while we were on vacation."

"And he was her mate?"

"Yes." Caroline nodded her head. "He is a Veela too. From Australia. He was nice. But Mum didn't think so. She took us home immediately and she…"

"She did what?" Lucius asked gently, although on the inside, he was raging.

"She locked Cecily away in the dungeons and she's forbidden her to see himOr to contact him. He's written her a few times, and I managed to save one of the letters. We haven't been allowed to see her, but I sneaked down there anyway, and… She isn't looking so good. She needs help. I wanted to write to you, but the owls are spelled not to deliver any letters sent to a Malfoy other than our own immediate family, and I didn't know what else to do. But then we read about the kidnapping in the papers and I remembered how papa told us about the time great, great grandfather sent his mate a Portkey, tricking her to come to the Honeymoon suite, and I looked through his diary, and there he had written how he did it and I did just as it said and…"

Lucius swiftly put his cup down and went to sweep his niece into a warm hug. He'd had no idea things were so bad. He should have suspected,he supposed, but his bond to Narcissa had suppressed a lot of things, not only his bond with Severus.

"Shh, I'm here now and I promise to make everything better. Do you still have that letter?"

Caroline nodded jerkily against his shoulder.

"Then why don't we go and get it while Draco rescues your sister, hmm?" Lucius said soothingly while giving his son a look and jerking his head towards the door.

Draco didn't need to be told twice. Shooting out of the chair, he was out the door in a flash, calling for a house-elf to show him where exactly his cousin was being held. This place was nowhere near as big as the Manor, but it was still big enough for him to get lost in, if he wasn't careful.

Downwards he ran, constantly urging the small creature to go faster. They came to a halt outside a heavily warded door, and Draco snarled as he used brute force to tear the wards down. The feelings of loss and despair that was suturing the air urged him forward, causing him to forget about finesse, his only goal to get into that room and save whoever was on the inside.

Finally, the last ward fell, and he threw himself at the door, blasting it to tiny pieces when it stubbornly refused to unlock. Almost falling to his knees, Draco staggered inside, his worst fears being realised as he saw the pitiful state of the girl lying apathetically on the small cot.

"Cecily?" he asked softly, not daring to speak above a whisper. "Oh Circe, please don't be dead!" he whispered, gently cradling the fragile body in his arms. Wanting but not daring to Apparate, he ran back upstairs to where he had left his father. To his relief, none of the children were there. Only his father, aunt, two grim looking Aurors, and an equally grim looking Healer.

"Place her on the sofa, son," the Healer directed and stepped forward the moment Draco stepped away.

Feeling emotionally drained, Draco walked over to his father and gratefully accepted the strong, warm, arms that wrapped themselves around him. "Why?" he croaked, his throat clogged up with unshed tears. "Why did she do this?"

"I don't know, but I am damned well going to find out!" Lucius growled, nodding towards the Aurors to revive the still-stunned woman.

"My head. What happened? Who are you people? What is _she_ doing here? Step away from her! She's unclean! She doesn't deserve any compassion!" Cerise screamed, fighting to get out of her chair, intent on getting the Healer away from her daughter.

"Unclean? That is your _daughter_!" Lucius thundered, not believing his ears.

"No! She _was_ my daughter. The moment I realised what she was, she was dead to me. Unfortunately, she connected with one of those animals before I could do something about it. At first, I was devastated, but then I realised what an opportunity this was. Not only could I get rid of that unclean creature, I had been given the chance to rid this world of two."

Lucius shook his head sadly. "You knew when you married my brother that he came from Veela Blood. The Malfoys have always had a strong connection to the Veelas. A higher percentage than normal of our offspring inherits the Veela traits. You must have known that."

"No, I didn't. I knew you were unclean, but I was blinded by the family name and fortune. Mikhail was clean and that was all that mattered to me. I knew my children would be of a prestigious family, in spite of your unfortunate connection to You Know Who. It wasn't until five years ago I realised why Mikhail was so eager for his daughter's sixteenth birthday. That he was actually _hoping_ his child would inherit the unclean blood. I had to do something!"

Lucius closed his eyes in pain. "So you killed him."

"I had to! Don't you see? He actually wanted another child. I was not going to risk to give birth to _more_ defective children! I've prayed and prayed that my children would be spared, but my prayers weren't answered. I had to kill that thing. Don't you understand? I couldn't allow the taint to continue to spread!" Cerise cried, looking around the room for sympathy. She found none.

The two Aurors walked up and silently slammed a pair of magical restraints around her wrists in preparation to talking her to the Ministry of Magic. "Cerise Malfoy, you are under arrest for Murder, Attempted Murder and crimes against the Veela law…" one of the Aurors began to rattle off, but he was interrupted by the arrival of a young man who looked about as bad as the girl on the couch.

"Beloved?" he whispered, his gaze fixed on his mate.

The second Auror stepped up to where he was wavering dangerously and gently helped him toward the sofa.

Desperately the youth grasped hold of the nearest cold and dirty hand like it was a lifeline, putting it against his sunken cheek, not noticing the tears falling from his eyes. "Beloved?" Turning towards the Healer, he asked desperately, "Will… will she be alright?"

"I believe so, with the right care. I won't lie to you. She is in a bad state and she will need a lot of tender care, but she should make a full recovery, given time."

"What ever she needs, make sure she gets it," Lucius ordered. "Make sure whatever plans you make include this young man. I suggest you give him a thorough check-up as well, just to be on the safe side. Where will you be taking them?"

"Normally, I'd take them to the magical hospital in Paris, but I don't believe that would be in their best interest. The press will have a field day with this, and the security just isn't up to dealing with that and ensuring their safety. Is there anywhere we could take them that will be safe and quiet? I would feel better if a Veela Healer tended to their care as well. A fellow Veela will be better equipped to deal with the emotional trauma, for one thing. A separation like this… it isn't something a human can understand, no matter how compassionate they are."

Lucius nodded in acknowledgement while his mind furiously worked on this new thorny problem. Unconsciously he hugged his son to him closer. He had been so determined to save his son from his own fate, and on the other side of the Channel, his niece had almost lost her life because of her deranged mother. He wanted Severus. He _needed_ his mate to help ease the guilt he was feeling.

Too late.

He was always too late to help those he loved.

Damn his father to the deepest Hell!

Lucius growled angrily, unconsciously tightening his grip on Draco. They needed help. They needed someone with a level head, and a compassionate heart to help deal with all the trauma one cold-hearted, selfish bitch had caused. At the moment, only one person came to mind, and the blond called one of the Aurors over, asking them to make arrangements for him to come over as quickly as possible.

HPDM

Mercury Malfoy Apparated into controlled chaos. He'd had no inkling of the drama his distant cousin had accidentally stumbled into. He had been at home with his family, enjoying a relaxing Sunday afternoon. Just like any sane family man should.

When the Auror had called, asking him to come to the Malfoy Cottage in France, he had Apparated away immediately. There was no reason for Lucius to be there. He and Cerise had never gotten along well, and since Mikhail's death…

He was ill prepared for the scene that met him.

Lucius was backed into the wall, clinging to his son as if the world had ended. Lucius Malfoy _never_ showed emotions in public. Something terrible must have happened to rattle him this badly.

On the couch a young man was sitting, a total stranger, from what Mercury could tell, looking pale and drawn. It wasn't until he moved to walk over to his cousin that he noted the body on the couch. Having a feeling he should know who it was, he made his way to Lucius' side.

Reaching out and touching the nearest shoulder gently, he asked softly, "Luce?"

"She almost died, Merc. She was almost killed because her mother thinks Veelas are inhuman monsters."

The reply was soft and the voice speaking filled with self-loathing.

Looking back at the couch, Mercury asked in confusion, "What exactly happened?"

Unable to reply, it was Draco who filled the newcomer in on the happenings of the afternoon.

Cursing vehemently, Mercury straightened his shoulders and prepared to take charge. For once, Lucius was in no shape to do what was needed. This had hit a bit too close to home. Walking over to the couch, greeting the Healer who was still checking the young girl over, Mercury made plans.

The most logical place to take the suffering pair was his home. Knowing his wife, she would be only too delighted to step in and give a helping hand. She wasn't a Hufflepuff for nothing. It didn't hurt that she had some talents for Healing either.

Their house might be small, but it was large enough to house a few houseguests and a Healer or two. Temporary rooms could always be created if needed. There was the attic, which wasn't used for anything in particular.

Looking around the room slowly, taking in the strained faces on all the Malfoys present, Mercury knew that Cecily wasn't the only one who would need a lot of tender loving care in the near future. Lucius looked like he was about to fall apart any second. Draco wasn't in much better shape, but he was holding himself together for his father.

Cecily looked like she was at Death's door, and the young fellow next to her didn't look very good either. And the younger children just looked… devastated. Shaking his head and pulling himself together, Mercury called an house-elf and asked for some writing material. He would not help anyone if he too fell to pieces. Someone needed to be calm and collected and in control. At least for a little while longer.

Scribbling a note, explaining the situation in an attempt to give his wife a little warning, Mercury sent the letter off with a house-elf before directing a few others to pack up what would be needed for the next few days. Once the children had settled, they could come back and get whatever was forgotten.

Soon the Malfoy cottage was empty save a few house-elves. The Aurors had removed their prisoner, and the Healer had followed the children back to Mercury's house and would stay with them until a Veela Healer could be located.

The last ones to leave were Lucius and Draco. The older Malfoy had needed a few moments alone with his son before he could even consider returning to Hogwarts. He felt too shaken to successfully to put his mask back in place, and no matter what, he was not about to subject himself to the population of the school while looking shattered beyond belief.

Draco didn't mind. Although he longed to be back with Harry, and desperately wanted to feel the other boy's arms around him, he too needed a moment to get his nerves under control. Once this entire mess was cleared up, he was going to find a way to keep close tabs on Harry to make sure this never, ever happened again! No matter what it took! If only he could fully bond with Harry; if they were fortunate, that would give them a telepathic bond. However, he was not about to force the brunet into something he wasn't ready for. Then there was the Elven King to consider. He wasn't about to do something that risked his and Harry's future together. Maybe he could encourage a closer emotional bond? Considering the reaction Harry had had on the roses, he'd say his mate was not adverse to being wooed. Snuggling deeper into his father's embrace, Draco started to plot.

HPDM

Severus swiftly made his way across the castle, not caring if some of the students saw him running down the corridors. His reputation would survive this lapse of decorum. Besides, he'd have a lot of fun deducting house points and giving out detentions to those daring to challenge him, thinking he'd gone soft.

The only thing that mattered at the moment was Harry. The poor boy was probably frantic by now. Mentally cursing the Headmaster for not giving the boys rooms closer to the dungeons, Severus finally arrived in front of Salazar. Before he could even attempt to pant out the password, the door swung open. Not sparing the Founder a glance, Severus stepped inside.

He had hardly passed the threshold before a small body was in his arms, sobbing hysterically. For a moment Severus froze, not sure what to do. Then he swept the boy up into his arms and carried him towards the sofas. Transfiguring one of them slightly, he settled down, making himself comfortable, before turning towards Harry.

Whose arms were wrapped around his neck a bit too tightly for comfort. Fortunately, he had no trouble breathing, so he wouldn't have to try talking the boy into letting go. Something told the Potions Master that would not go over well at the moment. Settling the teen more comfortably in his lap took some doing, but eventually they were as comfortable as they would get.

Only then did Severus turn his full focus on trying to calm the hysterical child down. Wrapping one arm around the too slim torso, hugging him close and murmuring softly into the nearest ear, Severus did his best to calm the youth down. His other hand crept up into the dark mass that was Harry's hair almost of their own volition, and slim fingers luxuriated in the texture of the dark locks, running up and down the silky locks. It was only then that he noted that the glamour had failed and Harry's Elven ancestry was clear for everyone to see. Apparently, he could not hold it together when he was emotionally unstable. A problem that would need attention, and soon. Now was not the time, though, so Severus pushed it to the back of his mind and focused on soothing the teen.

He had no idea how long he'd been sitting there, running his hand up and down Harry's scalp, giving it a gentle massage, and to tell the truth, he didn't care. The hysterical sobbing had died down to merely sobbing, and even that had now died down further to an occasional sniff. Yet he continued with the petting and waited patiently for Harry to acknowledge him.

Eventually the death grip around his neck loosened, and Harry pulled away with a soft and embarrassed, "Sorry."

"Whatever for?"

"For acting like a baby," Harry whispered, wiping away his tears with the sleeve of his robe.

However, when he tried to pull away further, the arm around his chest stopped him, and slender fingers wiped away the last tear tracks.

"You have nothing to apologise for, Harry. And there is no need to feel embarrassed, or ashamed for that matter," Severus said gently, looking deeply into Harry's green eyes. "Draco was kidnapped from your private rooms. A place where you are supposed to feel safe. We all know the type of enemies you have."

"Bedroom," Harry mumbled, looking down, unable to meet the kind gaze any longer.

"I beg your pardon?"

"The roses. They were in the bedroom. I saw them when I went to remove my cloak. I rushed to thank Draco. Should have known it wasn't from him. He got mad. Went to throw them into the wall, but they took him away before he could."

Severus sighed and pulled Harry close again, urging him to rest his head on Severus' shoulder.

"You poor thing. No wonder you got so upset. Too ease your mind, it wasn't a Death Eater who sent those roses. It wasn't the Dark Lord either. Draco, and Lucius by now, I'd imagine, are with the widow of Lucius' brother Mikhail. They have never seen eye to eye, so I'm guessing a lot of screaming is going on right now. It will probably be a while yet before they return, but they _will_ return. Both of them. Unharmed."

"Lucius has a brother? I thought he was an only child."

"No, he had a brother. Mikhail was twenty-five minutes younger than Lucius."

"They were twins?" Harry asked, not believing his ears.

"Yes. It was hushed up though. It wasn't something you spoke of in polite company."

"But, why not?" Harry asked in bewilderment.

"It is an old Pureblood belief that twins share a single magical core, making them half as strong as a normal wizard. It is also an old custom to kill off the younger child, unless the firstborn was a girl, then it was she who was killed," Severus explained, ignoring Harry's horrified gasp. "Lucius' father caused quite a stir when he chose to keep both boys.

"That was one of the reasons Lucius wanted siblings for Draco. He knew from experience how wonderful not growing up alone is. Not only did he have a twin brother, he also had a cousin that was only two years older. True, the three of them didn't get along that well when they were children; still, they were close when they managed to forget their difference in social status.

"However, it was not to be. Narcissa refused to carry any more children. Cerise -- the woman Mikhail unfortunately married -- hated Lucius and did everything she could to keep the brothers apart. It didn't exactly help that Lucius was forced to take the Dark Mark. Mikhail fled to France and never set foot on British soil again…

"Still, it was the brothers' dream that their children were to grow up together, but even that dream was destroyed by Cerise and Narcissa." The last was practically growled. The Potions Master had never liked either woman and had done his best to cushion some of their cruelty. However, his situation being what it was, he had been unable to help his Veela friend and could only stand on the sidelines watching, as time and again, Lucius was torn to pieces by his wife and sister-in-law.

"What happened to the brother?" Harry asked timidly. He could feel the anger rolling off the Potions Master, but he could also sense it was not aimed at him. Still, asking questions were always dangerous, and he readied himself to duck a blow.

"When Lucius turned sixteen and it was discovered I was his Mate, our fathers were not pleased. Abraxas, Lucius' father, wanted an alliance with the Blacks. My father was a Muggle, a homophobic Muggle at that, and he did not take kindly the thought of his only son being a poof." Severus sighed; the old wounds were still raw, but Harry needed to know, and he didn't think the Malfoys would be up to telling him once they had returned.

"I might have gotten some support from my mother; she was a witch by the name of Eileen Prince, and she was a Potions Mistress. You know, I never understood why she married my father. I cannot remember one moment of tenderness or kindness displayed between them. Not one. By the time I was sixteen, she was only living for her potions and for the Dark Arts. She was the one who taught me to be well above average in both those areas, and it was she who made the Dark Lord aware of my existence. She wanted the 'honour' of being his potions supplier, only, she couldn't since she was dying. I didn't know that until much later, but she had accidentally poisoned herself, dabbling with a potion the Dark Lord had requested. Unfortunately, there was no cure, and she was not about to check herself into St. Mungo's on the off chance that they might be able to help her. Knowing that she couldn't fulfil her dream herself, she pushed me into fulfilling it for her."

Severus sighed and reached up to rub the bridge of his nose. He hated dragging these memories up, but Harry needed to understand. He jumped when two small hands were placed on his temples, and he couldn't help but moan when delicate fingers began to massage his forehead gently, encouraging the building migraine to go away.

"When Lucius and I finally got together, or as Lucius would put it, once I finally believed that I was his mate and that the entire thing wasn't a joke instigated by the Marauders, we talked about what to do with our future. We were young, we were in love, and we were two of the biggest fools in this earth!" Severus added with a voice filled with self-disgust and anguish.

Leaning his head back, being careful not to dislodge the fingers that were still massaging his temples, he continued, "I wasn't ready to fully bond with Lucius. My past had not been the… best, and I was scared; hell, I was bloody terrified at the thought of tying myself to another person, even if that person was my best friend in the world." _My only friend in the world_, he added silently.

Taking a few deep breaths to centre himself, Severus stubbornly ploughed on, "The original plan was to wait until we had graduated before we were to be marked. Albus was actively fighting against the Dark Lord, and it was believed that if we were marked, we would be unable to return to Hogwarts, preventing us from graduating. Or rather, stopping us from recruiting more followers to the cause.

"What we didn't know, what we didn't realise, was that not everyone was as happy about things as we were. We foolishly thought we had time. Time for me to come to terms with being Lucius' mate." Severus shook his head as he remembered their folly.

"Our plan was that I was to spend most of the summer with Lucius at Malfoy Manor. Since his Veela side had awakened, he would never have survived an entire summer without me being near. Unfortunately, others had other plans for us," he stated dryly.

"We had barely set foot inside the Manor before we were stunned and moved to different wings. The awakening was most unpleasant. The chose to wake me from the stun by dumping icy cold water on me. I came to in a most pleasantly decorated parlour, surrounded by a ring of foreboding men in black robes and white masks. I knew immediately who they were, I just couldn't understand what I was doing there. I didn't want the Dark Mark. I knew my mother was pushing me to take it, but I thought that I had escaped all that, being mated to Lucius."

Severus closed his eyes as he remembered the terror he had felt, and how hard he had struggled not to show it, how hard he had worked to put on a brave front. Only for it to be all in vain.

"We weren't prepared. We had made a few lose plans on how to escape the Dark Lord and the wishes of our families. For a pair of Slytherins, we had acted in a most foolish manner, not thinking things through properly. We thought we had another year to prepare, to come up with arguments that would force our families to allow us to lead our own lives. I tried to resist them, Salazar help me, but I did my best. In the end, it wasn't good enough. I failed, not only myself but my Veela as well, and I was forced to take the thrice damned mark. I can still to this day remember the gleeful laughter of my own mother as I fought not to scream in agony when the thing was branded into my flesh.

"A small part of me hoped that I would still be able to bond with Lucius the moment we were allowed to leave our confinements. I hadn't counted on the devil known as Abraxan. While we were separated, he made sure that Lucius couldn't bond to anyone but the witch he had chosen. I was kept a prisoner at Malfoy Manor for the remainder of that summer, and by the time I was allowed to see Lucius again, he had been forcefully bonded to Narcissa, who was carrying their child. I know that the light of my world died that day, leaving only shadows of black, white, and grey.

"As for Luce… He was prepared to die rather than serve that monster. In the end, he chose to live in hopes of sparing his brother and I his fate. He was too late to save me, but he did manage to save Mikhail. Since the Malfoys originates in France, it is custom to send the second child to Beauxbatons while the oldest goes to Hogwarts. The third is sent to Durmstrang, and if there are more, the rest of the children are free to decide which school they wish to attend.

"Anyway, Mikhail had gone home with some friends to visit with them the first weeks after school let out. Lucius managed to send word to him, and he never put foot on British soil again as long as their father lived. He moved into the Malfoy Cottage -- the name is misleading by the way, since the place has well over one hundred rooms.

"The two of them stayed close, in spite of the difficulties, but five years ago Mikhail was killed. The investigation stated it was a riding accident, but I know Lucius never fully believed it. He allowed Cerise to stay in the cottage, and I know he's tried to keep in touch with the children. Cerise has not made it easy though, and done everything in her power to keep him away."

Severus fell silent, finally empty of words. He had avoided thinking of that summer for so long, not able to handle the pain and the shame those memories always brought forth. If only he had been stronger. If only they had thought ahead. If only they had bonded before leaving Hogwarts… Only the knowledge that they were finally about to come out ahead of their bastard families prevented Severus from going on a murdering rampage, destroying anything in sight.

Feeling the all too familiar feelings of rage and despair beginning to stir within him, Severus cast his mind for something to say, _anything_ to say. "I wonder who sent you that Portkey. I find it hard to believe it was Cerise. She _really_ doesn't like the Malfoys. Why she married Mikhail, I'll never understand. Nor will I ever understand what he saw in her. She is a shrew, through and through…" Severus trailed off, becoming lost in thought once more.

Harry kept very still, not wanting to disturb him. Silently he mulled about the things he'd been told. And to think he and Ron had always believed Draco lived a charmed life. By the look of it, the blond Veela was only too well equipped to handle his uncertainties, having lived through similar things to what Harry himself had experienced. To think he had believed that no one could understand what he was feeling. Life was filled with ironies, wasn't it?

The two silent figures were startled out of their thoughts when the door suddenly banged open and two bedraggled looking blonds all but stumbled inside. Harry was out of Severus' lap like a shot, wrapping Draco up in a suffocating hug.

Draco did not mind. In fact, he was holding Harry just as hard. Afterwards, neither could tell who started to cry first, but soon they found themselves sobbing into each other's shoulders. Severus steered them to the sofa he had just vacated. Pulling his wand, he transformed their clothes to something more comfortable, and guided them to lie down, wrapping them up in a warm blanket.

Straightening, he turned around and took one look at Lucius. Never saying a word, he gently guided the older man to Draco's bedroom, instinctually sensing that putting a lot of space between father and son at the moment was a bad thing. Changing their clothes as he had done for the boys, Severus gently prodded his Veela until he rested under the covers. Climbing in beside him, Severus pulled Lucius into his arms and held on.

At first, the older Malfoy lay stiff and still in his arms. Then a shudder wrecked the slender body. A second shudder followed soon, and then the proud man shattered, falling apart, sobbing much as Harry had done a few hours earlier.

Just as he had done for the teen, Severus now did for Lucius. He just held him close, running a hand through soft hair. Knowing full well that platitudes like 'it will be okay' would only make things worse. They had both lived through too much to take such words well. Instead he did everything he could to make sure the blond knew he was safe. That he was not alone. That it was all right to fall apart because there would be someone there to help pick the pieces up and put them together again.

* * *

**Next Time:**  
Our four boys are starting to pick up the pieces of their lives.  
Until Then… 


	45. Picking Up the Pieces

**Disclaimers:** I don't own Harry Potter, a fact that makes me very sad. Sniff.

**A/N:** A Big thank you to all of you who are reviewing my story. Thank you!

Thank you Vaughn for your help with the grammar and stuff.

* * *

**Picking Up the Pieces **

Draco felt like he was in heaven. He was with his mate. He was with his mate, lying on a sofa, holding him close. He did not care about the tears streaming down his face. All he cared about was Harry.

Harry who was sobbing into his shoulder.

"Love?" Draco managed to croak out.

"I though I'd never see you again, Draco. I thought… I thought you were gone for good. I thought _He_ had gotten hold of you, and I was so scared I'd never see you again."

"Shh. I'm fine, love. I'm fine and I'm here and I am _never_ going to leave your side again. You know how Weasley and Granger complained about you and me being joined at the hip? From now on, it is going to be the truth. I'll even search through the Hogwarts and Black libraries to find a spell to make sure it's true."

Harry chuckled weakly, punching Draco in the shoulder. "Prat."

"Just you wait. I will so do it, too! You just wait and see," Draco vowed, thrilled he had managed to lighten his mate's mood, if only a little. If he only could do something about his own mood. He hadn't known his uncle well. But his father had often talked about the mischief they'd gotten into growing up.

"Draco? What happened?" Harry asked tentatively, sitting up a little so he could look into Draco's stormy eyes better. He could sense that something had happened. Something bad, and he wanted to help. Only he did not know how to do it.

"She killed my uncle, Harry. And she almost killed my cousin," Draco choked out, feeling tears well up anew, and then spilling down his cheeks.

"Tell me," Harry whispered, allowing the Veela to pull him close. Taking a leaf out of Severus' book, he began to pet the silky soft hair, listening quietly to the horrors that had been unearthed that day.

HPDM

Harry lay listening to Draco's soft breathing. The boy had crashed once he'd told his story, quickly falling asleep while still wrapped tightly around his mate. It had horrified the brunet to hear about the horrors he had stumbled upon, and he found himself grateful that the children had sent that Portkey and that it had fallen through the safety net that supposedly was in place around them. Although Harry did wonder just how safe he and Draco were. So far, Dumbledore had done a _splendid_ job of keeping them safe, as bloody usual. Did the old man use a different manual when it came to him? None of the other kids were ever subjected to the things he was, that was for sure!

Shying away from the mess that was his life, Harry latched onto what Draco had told him, and he couldn't help but shudder. How could people be so heartless? So cold? So… bloody _unfeeling_? Hadn't those two women cared at all about the lives they had destroyed?

Apparently not.

Thinking about the lives of the Malfoy brothers caused Harry think about his own family. How would his own life have been if his parents had lived? Before, he'd always envisioned a happy family. Him and his mum and dad and perhaps a few siblings, living happily together, much as they did in the fairytales.

However, each fairytale had one or more baddies, didn't they? Knowing what he did of his father and Sirius, would they have been tolerant of him and the choices he wanted to make? Would they still have loved him if he had been sorted into Slytherin? Would they have supported him when they found out he was Draco's mate? They had been bullies in school. Had they truly outgrown that trait, as most insisted they had? Sirius sure as hell hadn't grown out of his childish grudge against Severus. Of course, his godfather had the excuse of Azkaban to fall back on, but Harry couldn't help but wonder.

Was what had happened to him, no matter how horrible it had been, for the best? Was he better off being an orphan than if he had grown up with his parents?

He realised it was useless to ponder. His parents were dead and there was no point in going over countless 'what ifs'. Still, Harry found he could not stop; clearly, he was in need of a distraction! But what? Then it hit him. Tomorrow was Monday and he hadn't prepared the next prank yet. Perfect!

Detangling himself carefully from Draco's arms, Harry moved to sit up properly. Looking down at the sleeping face of his Veela, he reached up to tenderly stroke the nearest cheek. In his sleep, Draco looked so young. So sweet. Without thought, he leaned down and pressed a small kiss on the blond's forehead. Realising what he'd done, Harry blushed a deep red and fled.

Draco stirred in his sleep. He could feel his mate move away and he wanted to protest. He was comfortable. His mate was safe, here, with him. He did not want that to change. Before he could open his eyes, or voice his protest, he felt a soft touch on his face. Holding his breath, he waited to see what would happen next.

He almost purred in happiness when he felt the kiss. Opening his eyes, he was in time to see Harry duck his head and blush before fleeing from the room. Getting concerned, he threw the blanket aside and sat up, intent on following the other boy, not wanting him to retreat too far, the happenings of the day still too raw in his mind.

Before he could get up though, Harry returned, carrying an armful of Bertie Bott's. Raising an eyebrow, Draco couldn't wait to find out what his devious mate was up to now. At least he would be included this time. "Who are we pranking this time?"

Harry started, almost dropping the boxes he was holding. He hadn't noted that Draco was awake. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"No. Yes. I don't know."

"Well, that was conclusive." Harry chuckled. "Wanna help me? I figured it was time to harass Dumbledore some more. Or do you need to rest?"

"Nah, I feel fine. So, what are we going to do this time?" he asked, not wanting to dwell on his earlier breakdown. Harry seemed to sense this, as all he did, after giving Draco a searching look, was call Norabeth's diary to him, showing Draco the spell they needed.

The blond read it through swiftly, committing it to memory. However, before any spells were cast, he separated the beans, not prepared to sacrifice any of the edible ones. Not even to a prank designed to drive Dumbles to distraction.

HPDM

"So that's how you did it," Draco commented when they were on their way back to their rooms. He had envisioned the two of them sneaking around the entire castle, popping beans into the different armours. Hunting down Peeves to get him to do all the work had been a little bit of a let down.

"You almost sound disappointed," Harry noted with a small smile.

"In a way, I guess I am. I mean, after all that hard work, to just hand those beans over to Peeves…"

"What? You figured we'd sneak around the entire castle…? I suppose we could, but the risk of being caught would be much higher. And once we're caught, we won't be able to do this anymore. Dumbles will see to that. No, better to get Peeves to help us and use the time he saves us thinking up new cool things to do. So, any suggestions as to how to get back at Weasley and Parkinson? I've got a bone to pick with the Weasel, and that bone keeps getting bigger and bigger. He's gotten away with far too much lately."

"Hmm, put that way, I suppose I can forgive you for curtailing my fun. So the Weasel, huh? Him I can understand, but what has Parkinson done to you?"

"To me personally? Not a thing, but she's been hounding you for years. In addition, she _still_ thinks she can get you. I just thought you'd want to get back at her? If not…"

"No! I do! As you said, she's made my life hell. I just…"

"Just what?"

Draco shrugged, unable to put into words what he was feeling. "Never mind. So what kind of prank did you have in mind? Nothing as lame as changing their hair colour, I hope."

Harry snorted. "That's for amateurs. I might not have done much pranking up till now, but I _do_ have better imagination than something like _that_."

"Dragons and Parselmouth," Draco said to Salazar, waiting for him to open up the door. "So what _did_ you have in mind?"

"Did you ever finish reading your relative's diary?" Harry asked with curiosity.

"My relative's diary…? Oh, you mean the one written by Claude Le Merle? The one I found just before you found that journal by Longbottom? No. There just hasn't been time. So much has happened. I can't believe it's only been two weeks since school began," Draco said with some amazement when it hit him how event filled the last two weeks had been.

"Tell me about it!" Harry snorted, rolling his eyes. "It feels like months since the Welcoming Feast. And to think, all I was worrying about then was how to keep my secret from Dumbledore and how to get the hell away from my so-called friends."

Draco was a little startled by the bitterness he could hear in Harry's voice. Taking his mate's hand, he led him towards the sofa and sat down, pulling Harry down to sit in his lap.

Harry gave him a startled look, but refrained from saying anything. He merely laid his head against a shoulder and waited to see what Draco would do next.

"I wasn't there for the Feast, but I _was_ there the next morning. I felt you."

"You felt me?" Harry asked, puzzled.

"Your scent was driving me crazy. Not that I knew it was your scent at the time. I was first hit by it at King's Cross, Dad had to stun me, or I'd have hunted you down and mated with you there and then. I was totally out of control. I'd been waiting for so long to finally find you. I…"

"Shhh. I understand, sort of," Harry said soothingly, running a hand up and down the arm laying around his waist.

"Anyway. The next morning I was being driven out of my mind, and it was a relief when Father finally came into the Great Hall so I could go hunting."

"I've been meaning to ask you about that. Why did you stroll about the Great Hall like that? I thought a Veela wanted to keep things low key until they'd made claim on their mate?" Harry interjected, unable to hold back his curiosity.

Draco gave him a weird look. "I did not stroll about the Great Hall. How do you know what I did anyway? I was invisible."

"No, you weren't. I could see you clear as day. You walked up and down the tables, which now makes sense, I suppose. You were trying to pinpoint where the scent was coming from, right?"

"I was, but I _was_ invisible. Only Father should have been able to see me, since I was using a Veela trait. It isn't widely known, but a Veela can will themselves to become invisible. Very useful when you need to keep your mate or your children safe from enemies. Since I'm only Half Veela, we weren't sure if I'd inherit this ability. I was ecstatic the first time I managed it. Only Father and Severus know of this. Not even Narcissa knows I can."

"Draco, I hate to burst your bubble, but I _did_ see you that morning. I was about to ask you what the hell you were doing. Then I figured, what the heck? You weren't doing anything wrong, and if you were about to start a fight with Ron, you were welcome to it." Harry shrugged.

"I don't know why you weren't affected like everyone else. It could be because you are my mate. It could be that you are an Elf. Maybe Dad knows? Anyway, that's not why I brought this up. I could feel your emotions. You were so sad, and angry. Not to mention hurt. What had happened to you?" Draco asked, tightening his grip on the body in his arms.

Harry's initial reaction was getting away. Slim yet strong arms prevented that. His next reaction was to get angry, and he turned stormy green eyes on Draco, prepared to lambaste him to the deepest hell.

"Please, Harry. I want to know. I _need_ to know."

Harry paused, some of his anger ebbing away. "Why?"

"I'm not sure I can explain."

"Try!" Harry glowered, folding his arms across his chest.

Draco gathered his wits about him. He hadn't expected Harry to go on the defensive like this. It put a distance between them that made his heart ache. Perhaps it had been a mistake bringing this up now, when both of their emotions were so raw. But he was desperate to think of something other than what he'd experienced earlier in the day, and what better to focus on than his mate?

"The moment I realised you were my mate, something inside me… clicked. I _knew_ you. I knew your strength and your weakness. I could feel your anger, your misery and your despair, and my entire being wanted to take that away from you and soothe you and, well, make you happy.

"And yet, I do not know you in the least. I do not know your thoughts, your hopes, and dreams. I don't know what you have lived through, and a part of me resents that. I want to know everything there is to know of you. And I want you to have that level of knowledge of me as well.

"I realise that we won't be that close for a long time yet. Even with couples who were friends before they realised they were mates, it still takes years before they reach that stage. In the meantime, I can work on making you happy. Yet I can't, not until I know, until I understand what it is that makes you unhappy. And that morning, you were giving off such waves of agony and despair, I'm surprised the entire Hall didn't feel it. I realise now that that morning has been weighing on my mind, a lot. So could you please tell me? Because I really need to know."

Harry thought for a moment about what Draco had told him. He also remembered what the blond had asked of him that morning so long ago. 'Please, don't shut me out'. He wasn't in the habit of telling others what was bugging him. He didn't want to burden those around him with his problems.

However, if the situation had been reversed… If it had been him asking Draco… Wouldn't he be hurt and angry if Draco refused to confide in him? Was it worth it to take the risk and tell him? Was it worth the risk not to?

Sighing deeply, Harry relaxed back into Draco's arms. Damned if he did, damned if he didn't. He knew life wasn't easy, but his life was getting ridiculous!

"You remember what I told you about this summer? How they would either ignore me, or bitch about insignificant things?"

"Yeah, I remember," Draco murmured, afraid to break the mood now that Harry was beginning to open up to him.

"I thought that was how it was to be from now on. I knew Ron had been influenced by his mother, and Hermione went along with what Ron did… You know, I still haven't managed to figure out why yet. I mean, I know that she likes him, she might even be in love with him, even thought they do spend most of their time bickering. Still, she has always been so… level-headed. I just don't understand her." Harry fell silent for a moment, contemplating his former friend.

"I take it something happened on the train?" Draco asked, wanting to keep his mate talking.

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. They went from ignoring me, even disapproving of me, to acting as if nothing had happened. They spent the summer complaining about me to my face, telling me how disappointed they were in me for avoiding them. And when they had a falling out, they both would come to me and spend hours grumbling about whatever the other did or didn't do. Ron even went so far as nagging me endlessly about loaning him enough money so he could take Hermione out, 'making it as romantic and girly as she deserved'."

Draco snorted in amusement at the quote. Weasley was sooo clueless. It was a wonder he managed to get any girl interested in him. Really, the boy had nothing going for him. No style, no fashion sense, no looks, no brains, and definitely no money. What was there to like?

"Then came the first of September, and we were on the train, and it was like…" Harry trailed off once more, this time searching for the right words. "It was as if the summer hadn't happened. Once they were back from the Prefect meeting, they spent the entire trip trying to set me up with Ginny. I got a small reprieve when Neville and Luna popped in to visit. Unfortunately, they left soon after they stopped by, when Hermione began to lecture about spells she'd read about during the summer, and how she hoped we'd continue the DA because those spells would be just perfect for me to teach everyone.

"For weeks they ignored me, and once school began, they acted as always, only worse. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised; this is what they've done for the past five years. Only they've never been so blatantly open about trying to run my life before. They decided Ginny would be the perfect girl for me, so naturally, I would comply with their wishes.

"I tried to stay out of their scheming. I just knew it would be pointless for me to argue. That course of action backfired on me. The moment we got back to the common room, and everyone had gone off to bed, the two of them started in on me. Telling me how ungrateful I was. How I should listen to them since they knew best. After all, I had proven my inability to do the right thing last year when I went to the Department of Mysteries. If I had only listened to them, Sirius would be alive today. On and on and on they went, until I couldn't take anymore and headed off to bed.

"I guess in some weird way you saved my life by choosing me as your mate. I don't think I could have managed to keep my temper around them for much longer. I'm actually afraid to think of what could have happened if I did lose my temper." Harry mused, snuggling closer to Draco, needing the warmth he gave off. The warmth and the love.

Draco didn't comment, merely hugged his mate closer.

HPDM

"Should I consider Ginny Weasley a threat?" Draco asked eventually, doing his best to keep his jealousy under control. It was difficult though, as he all too vividly remembered moments when the youngest Weasley definitely had been eyeing Harry in a more-than-friendly fashion.

"Not from where I'm sitting." Harry shrugged. "She told me last year that she was over her crush on me and had moved on. I'm not interested in her. I never felt anything else for her than her being Ron's little sister. I tried to talk to her now and then; I guess I felt bad that I never noted things were wrong during her first year. It is difficult to talk to someone who can't look at you and won't say a word to you though, no matter how kind and gentle you are. So I sort of gave up. I told her that if she ever needed someone to talk to, she could come to me.

"She never did.

"She should know now that I'm with you, and thus out of bonds. If she doesn't want to get it, it isn't my problem. I don't mean to belittle her feelings, but at the moment, I have bigger fish to fry than her crush," Harry said with another shrug.

Draco nodded his head, but vowed to keep a close look on Ginny for a while, just in case…

"So this prank you wanted to play on the Weasel and Pansy?" he asked to get his mind on to more pleasant things. He also wanted to hear if Harry's idea was cooler than his own potion was.

"Oh, yeah! I almost forgot. _Accio_ Claude Le Merle's diary," Harry called, neatly catching the book that came sailing towards him from his bedroom. He hadn't had much time for recreational reading either lately, but he'd tried to do some light reading in the evenings before falling asleep. Draco's fascination with his distant relative's diary had piqued his own interest, and Harry had picked it among a few others to read. It had paid off handsomely. Apparently, all Malfoys were a bit of a prankster at heart. In addition, all of them apparently believed in payback.

It didn't take him long to find the correct section, and Harry settled back to watch Draco's face as the blond read about what Claude had been up to.

Draco read the indicated pages with growing amazement and amusement. When he came to the end he was laughing so hard, he could hardly breathe, and tears were streaking down his face. "I love it! It's fucking beautiful! It's… it's so utterly Slytherin! When can we do this?" he asked eagerly, for once discarding his masks, allowing his mate to see everything.

Harry chuckled and reached out to run his fingers down the happy face so close to his own. "Whenever you want. As soon as we've made the needed potion, I guess. I figured we could distribute it with the help of a wooden spider. The wood should be able to soak up enough of the potion to make the effects last for a long time, longer than a few hours, anyway. The animation spell isn't difficult, and it should be easy to control them with our wands."

"But how are you going to hit both of them at the same time without attracting attention? Everyone will guess it's us behind the prank. There's no secret there's no love lost between the four of us," Draco interjected, wanting to make sure they didn't get caught. He was a Slytherin, after all.

Harry shrugged his shoulders, not very concerned. "I figured we could hit them during breakfast. We should be able to hit Ron with little difficulty. How hard do you think it would be to talk Blaise into aiding us? Or is there any other Slytherin you think would be interested in helping us?"

Draco considered the few friends he had in his House. "Blaise is probably the best option. He is very good at charms, and if we did all the work, and he only had to get the thing into Pansy's goblet…"

"Good. Let's ask him tomorrow then."

Draco nodded. "You know, while we are talking about stuff…"

"That sounds serious," Harry teased, earning himself a punch to the shoulder.

"Prat! I was thinking of your ability to secretly get into Dumbles office," Draco said with mock sternness.

"What of it? Did you think of a prank?"

"No, no prank. I was thinking of all the books the Headmaster's gathered in there. From what Severus has told me, most of them are extremely rare and difficult to find tomes and manuscripts. A few of them have been in his family for generations. Others he has gathered from Hogwarts or picked up during the wars, confiscated from Manors belonging to the enemy, that sort of thing. Wouldn't it be great if we could one-up him by copying his horded loot and using for ourselves what he's been trying to hide away?"

Harry got up from Draco's lap and began to pace around the room. On one hand, what the Veela was suggesting was extremely dangerous. He had gotten away once with breaking into Dumbledore's office with no one the wiser. Could he do it again? Did he dare do it again?

On the other hand, did he dare _not_ to do this? He had felt no qualms copying the Black libraries, knowing he needed the knowledge too badly to allow such scruples to stand in his way. If Dumbledore _had_ scurried away books and texts from enemy Manors before the Ministry or someone else could get their hands on them… What treasures were hidden in that innocent looking room? And was that the only room filled with ill-gotten tomes?

"Alright. I'll do it. But not tonight."

"Great! I can't wait! I've always wanted to take a closer look at those books," Draco said with delight.

"But first, there's something we need to do," Harry said, turning to the sofa where Draco was still sitting.

"What?"

"We need to sort through the books I've already bought. I'm going to put them in the trunk, but things would be easier if we sorted them first. We need to separate the diaries from the work journals and other books. That will make it much easier when we add them in the ledger. Besides, I want to put the diaries in a ledger of their own," Harry explained with an earnest look.

Draco looked at the two trunks. "But that could take _ages_!" he whined.

"I know. But it needs to be done and you know it. Pretty soon we will be knee deep in books. Especially since I want to copy the Restricted Section of the school library. We need to know what it is we've got before it becomes totally unmanageable," Harry stated, walking over to the nearest trunk. Plonking down on the floor, he grabbed a handful of books and began to look through them, placing them in different piles.

Draco watched him for several minutes. Then he sighed, heavily, before joining Harry on the floor. "Roughly how are we sorting them?"

Harry looked up and gave him a fleeting smile filled with love and appreciation. "I think it will be easiest to deal with if we sort them in three different categories. Diaries in one pile, work journals in another, and everything else in a third one. We can fine-tune things when we record them in the ledgers later on."

"Why not just record everything in one ledger? Why bother to sort them like this?" Draco wondered, not seeing the point at all.

"I told you, I want to put the diaries in a section of their own. If my guess is right, then the majority of the books in those two trunks are diaries and journals. Do you realise just how much space they will take up in the main ledger if they are? Besides, recording them all will take ages as it is, it will be much easier if we have a rough idea of what everything is. Trust me, I had to redo the library five times before I ended up with something that was manageable," Harry said, turning his attention back to the books in his hands.

Draco scowled for a moment, not liking to be dismissed like that. Then he shrugged. He would bow down to Harry's superior experience, for now. However, if Harry turned out to be wrong, he would delight in telling him 'I told you so' so many times, Draco himself would grow tired of hearing those words.

HPDM

**Day 15; Monday #3**

Lucius slowly swam towards consciousness. He was somewhere warm, that much his befuddled mind could grasp. For once, he didn't come awake with a start, instantly prepared to defend himself if needed. In fact, he couldn't remember the last time he'd slept this deeply, this peacefully.

Trying to figure out what was different, Lucius suddenly became aware of the most heavenly scent he had ever smelled. For several minutes he just lay there, revelling in the wonderful aroma, taking it deep within his lungs, feeling it starting to heal a few of the cracks within his soul.

"Hmmm, morning," a voice murmured from behind him, and Lucius was startled to realise that he wasn't alone in the bed. What in Salazar's name was going on? He never took any lovers, and it was most definitely not Narcissa sleeping behind him.

Moving causally, he turned over and opened his eyes. Feeling them widen to comical proportions, Lucius froze for a second, then his face melted into a happy smile, and he pulled Severus close, burying his nose in the other man's neck.

The aroma was even stronger now, and Lucius happily got lost in the smells of pine, green tea, and white chocolate. Contrary to what most thought, Severus Snape did not smell of dungeons or nasty potions ingredients. Unable to help himself, Lucius opened his mouth and licked a broad swipe up his mate's throat, moaning when the taste exploded on his tongue.

Severus had had a similar awakening to that of Lucius, only he hadn't been confused as to where he was or with whom. He too had enjoyed one of the best nights of his life, and he was not in a hurry to wake up and face the new day.

When the Veela turned and pulled him close, he happily complied, stifling a giggle when the blond buried his nose in his neck and started to snuffle. Lucius knew damned well that that was one of the Potions Master's ticklish spots!

But when Lucius began to lick his throat, Severus knew that he would have to put a stop to things before they got too far. Unable to bite back a moan, he gently placed his hands on broad shoulders and pushed.

Lucius froze when his mate tried to push him away, and his already fragile heart began to shatter. "Please," he whispered, not able to take another rejection.

"Shhh, come here, Luce. I'm not rejecting you," Severus murmured, pulling the other man into a comforting hug. "I just wanted to remind you that we can't bond. Not yet. I want to, Salazar help me, I want to, but not like this. I want _them_ out of our lives first. Do you understand?" Severus asked, pushing a lock away from Lucius' forehead when he pushed up on his elbows, the better to watch Severus' face.

"Please, Sev, don't ask me to leave. Not yet. Not now, I…" Lucius tried his best to put words to his feelings, but his inside were too jumbled up and he wasn't even sure what he was asking for.

"Shh, I just wanted to make sure you didn't get lost in a bonding haze," Severus whispered, pulling Lucius close again. Wanting to reassure, but not sure what to do, he threw caution to the winds and pressed his lips to Lucius'.

For a moment the Veela froze, not believing what his senses was telling him. Then he moaned and crushed his mate to him, his heart soaring at the permission given him. Needing to taste that heavenly taste once more, Lucius opened his mouth and reached out tentatively with his tongue, running it along Severus' lower lip, sighing in happiness as they parted for him, and he darted inside.

Both men moaned in appreciation at the sensations running threw them as the kiss deepened. Lucius felt as if his soul was soaring, he felt stronger, brighter, as if there was nothing he wouldn't do for this man who held his heart. Severus felt as if a shock of electricity had run through his body, energizing and vitalising him, making him feel younger than he had in years. He was forcefully brought back to that spring when Lucius had turned sixteen and they had discovered that Severus was his mate. The kisses had been just as electrifying and exciting then as it was now. One of the reasons he'd been so freaked out. One of the reasons he had wanted to wait to fully bond.

Remembering what his fears had led to, Severus felt heat of shame stain his cheeks, and he broke the kiss and turned his head away. How could Lucius still want him? How could he ever forgive all the grief his cowardice had led to?

Feeling his mate pull away mentally, Lucius looked up to study the face he had memorized and always carried with him deep within his heart. By the way Severus refused to look him in the eyes, he instantly knew what his mate was thinking and he reached out a hand and allowed the back of his fingers to stroke a prominent cheekbone. "Hey, everything is fine. I am not angry with you, Severus. I am not disappointed either, or whatever feeling it is that you think I should be feeling. I never put any blame on you, please, don't put any of it on yourself."

"How can you not? How can you still want me? If it wasn't for my-"

"_You_ did nothing but ask for a bit more time. You didn't reject me. You didn't tell me to go to hell. You were prepared to spend the summer with me, allowing me to court you in an environment I thought would be safe, far away from Hogwarts with its distractions. Do you remember? We planned on spending that summer together, tinkering in the potions lab, swimming, riding horses and brooms." Lucius got a faraway look in his eyes as he remembered the plans they had made all those years ago.

Shaking his head and returning to the here and now, he looked back down at Severus. "If anyone is to blame, it is me."

"You?" Severus cried out in disbelief. "How can you say that! How was you to know what mad schemes your father was concocting? He led you to believe that he was pleased with your choice of mate. How was you to know that he was lying through his teeth?" Severus demanded, outraged.

"Because he was my father? Because I should have known that he would do everything within his powers to fuck me over, the way he'd done all my life? Did I plan ahead? No. I was too deliriously happy, and forgot the first rule of being a Slytherin. Always have a contingency plan. Never leave anything to chance."

"Oh, Luce," Severus whispered, feeling tears well up in his eyes at the self-recrimination he could hear in Lucius' voice. "You were a Veela. You had just found your mate. You did nothing wrong. You followed your nature. It was those around you that failed you. It was those around you that wronged you, that violated who and what you are. You were not the one at fault, love. Never you."

Lucius used the pad of his thumb to stroke his beloved's face. "If I am not at fault, then neither are you, Dearheart. You are my mate. The other half of my soul. I will _never_ turn away from you of my own free will. That is my promise to you," he whispered, looking deeply into onyx eyes that for once held all the emotions the Potions Master normally hid behind steel doors.

Feeling mesmerised at the things he could read inside his mate's soul, Lucius lowered his head and engaged Severus in another kiss. Where the previous one had been about need, frustration, and fear, this one was about love, reaffirmation, and tenderness.

Tongues met and stroked against each other, neither seeking domination, both wanting to give greeting and convey love. They did not part until air was beyond need, and they were both panting, almost seeing black spots before their eyes.

Neither could say afterwards who started to laugh first, but it didn't take long before they were both all but hysterical with it.

"I'd say your kisses are still lethal," Severus said once he could speak again, grinning like a loon, and for once not caring in the least.

"Thank you, kind sir, you are not so bad either," Lucius said with a smug look on his face.

"Prat!" Severus mock growled, allowing his hands to run up and down Lucius' sides. Before the blond realised what he was up to, Severus' sensitive fingers had found the spot he was looking for, and launched a tickling attack, not letting up until Lucius was forced to cry mercy.

Collapsing beside his Veela, Severus was laughing just as hard as Lucius was. Their connection was back. It was still marred by the marks they were both wearing, but the flow of feelings were there. Suddenly he just _knew_ that everything would turn out right.

Rolling up on his elbow, Severus looked down at the flushed face of his love. He had no idea what his face conveyed, but Lucius stilled and gave him his full attention. "I love you, Lucius Alexander Claudius Malfoy. Now and forever," he vowed, deliberately using the words he had used when they were sixteen.

Lucius grew serious in a heartbeat and reached up to cup Severus' cheek. "And I love you, Severus Hadrian Tobias Snape, the light of my life and the keeper of my heart," he returned, doing his best to pour his feelings into his words and into his touch.

Feeling his world was once again as it should, Severus fell back onto the bed, placing his head on Lucius' chest, content to listen to his heartbeat, humming in appreciation as slender fingers came up and toyed with his hair.

HPDM

"I suppose we better go and check on the boys," Lucius said, feeling a little guilty for not having rushed from the bed to do so already. But it was so nice to finally just be with Severus that he didn't want to be the one to end their cosy moment. "Yesterday wasn't easy on either of them. I can't believe a Portkey made its way into their rooms. I'm grateful, sort of, that it happened, since it saved the life of my niece. However, that doesn't excuse the fact that it did happen. I thought Dumbledore had made sure there would be no repeat of what happened last Wednesday," Lucius continued, starting to get angry at the carelessness displayed by the Headmaster. Did he have such little concern for the safety of Harry Potter?

"Calm down, Luce. Yes, it is horrible that it happened. Yes, it was good in a way that it did. Now we know beyond doubt that Albus can't be trusted where the boys are concerned, and we know to step in and deal with all the details ourselves. And yes, we should get up and check on them. It is getting late and I'm surprised they aren't up yet," Severus said soothingly, running a hand slowly up and down the muscular chest.

"How do you know they aren't up yet?" Lucius asked with a hint of curiosity in his voice. He had no idea what time it was, and he would much rather stay where he was as long as Severus kept doing what he was doing. Too bad that they couldn't lounge in bed all day.

"Luce, we are in Draco's bedroom. Have you ever known your son not to primp forever in the morning? He hasn't been in to retrieve his clothes. He hasn't summoned them either, and he and Harry are too different in size and colour to enable them to borrow clothes from each other. Therefore, I think it is safe to say that neither of them are up yet," Severus said, his lips twitching in amusement.

"Don't let Draco hear you talk like that. Remember what happened last time you accused him of primping?"

Severus snorted a laugh. "How can I forget? The little brat charmed all my robes purple! It took me hours to figure out what charms he'd used and cancel them, restoring them to normal."

Lucius chuckled; that had been a sight to see indeed. It had happened while Severus had been staying at the Manor the summer of the Quidditch Word Cup. Draco wisely had made himself scarce, but Lucius had spent the entire time watching and listening to Severus' rants as he worked on restoring his wardrobe. The event would forever live in his memory. The photos he'd taken in secret would ensure that.

Sighing with regret, Lucius finally sat up in bed. Severus had a point. It was getting late and it was too quiet. Far too quiet. Feeling a sense of unease, he threw the covers aside and climbed out of the bed. On the other side, Severus was doing the same thing, and Lucius was already missing the warmth of the other body.

As if sensing his mood, Severus sauntered over to where he was standing and wrapped his arms around his neck. One hand crept up into fair hair, fisted itself around the lustrous strands, and urged the head to bend down slightly. Smouldering eyes looked into silvery ones, and then Severus kissed him.

Lucius allowed his eyes to fall close with a happy little sigh. He had forgotten just how hot and warm Severus mouth was. Wrapping his own arms around Severus' broad shoulders, Lucius pressed them closer than close, entwining one of his legs with his mate's to ensure that he wouldn't go anywhere.

Lazily he stroked his tongue against Severus once, before moving on, exploring every nook and cranny, familiarising himself with the bliss he had once taken for granted. A small part of his mind was thankful that Severus had remembered to cast a mouth cleaning charm, but the biggest part of him couldn't care less about such things.

Holding out as long as he could, he only broke away when his lungs were screaming for air. Placing his forehead against Severus', Lucius re-opened his eyes and asked softly, "What was that for? Not that I am complaining," he quickly added, not wanting his mate to interpret his words the wrong way.

Severus smiled a wicked little smile. "Just something for you to remember me by while I spend my time in the dungeons trying to teach dunderheads," he murmured, disentangling himself from his Veela with some difficulty.

Lucius regretfully allowed him to move away a few inches. "Dearheart, I don't need a reminder. You are forever ingrained inside my heart, and I have no intentions of ever letting you out."

"Good. Now, go and shower. Unless you prefer cold water?" Severus chuckled, giving the other man a small push.

Lucius mock scowled. "That is twice now that you have accused my son of being a primping primadonna. Should I be offended on his behalf?"

Severus laughed. "I'm merely stating facts, Luce, and you know it. Unless you wish to parade before your son and his mate in only your pyjamas?"

Making a face of distaste, Lucius turned towards the bathroom. He took two steps, and then a thought hit him. Glancing over his shoulder, he did his best come hither look. "What about you? Plan to join me? Or will you prance about in only your pyjamas?"

"Luce, if I join you, none of us will be on time for breakfast. No, I will make do with cleaning charms. I'd suggest you do as well, but then I'd have to hear you bitch about the state of your hair for the rest of the day, and frankly, I'd rather not," Severus said with a longsuffering sigh.

Lucius stuck his tongue out. "Can I help it that I have fine, delicate hair? You know very well that cleaning charms leave it static for hours afterwards. Just you wait Severus Snape, once we are bonded, I will make it my life's mission to find a way to deal with the mess that is residing on top of your skull. Can we say disgusting?"

Severus rolled his eyes. "And just how many times have I told you that I prefer to have lanky hair to no hair at all? With the menaces portraying themselves as students, if I didn't use the flame retard oil in my hair, I would be as bald as an egg by now!"

"That is your story. _I_ say that there has to be a more appealing alternative," Lucius said haughtily, sticking his nose into the air. Then he ruined the effect by quickly escaping into the bathroom before his lover could retaliate.

Severus muttered darkly, but decided not to chase after the infuriating man. If they ended up in the bathroom together, not only would they be late for breakfast, but he couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't complete the bond before the right time. A wet Lucius was a very delicious creature. Far too tempting for Severus' peace of mind.

HPDM

After taking care of business, Lucius stepped up to the spacious shower stall and turned on the hot water. Making sure that the temperature was how he liked -- he and Draco most definitely did not share the same tastes in that area -- the aristocrat placed himself under the hot spray, tilting his head back and up, allowing the water to soothe him.

For several long moments he just stood there, revelling in being alive and being with his mate. It was a miracle that he had managed to find his way back to Severus, and he would spend the rest of his life to ensure that he never lacked anything. Be it love or potions ingredients. Sniggering to himself, Lucius picked up the soap and a clean washcloth, knowing what Severus would be asking for first. Nevertheless, he would make it his life's mission to show everyone, and that included Severus, just what a fine specimen his mate was. He could see it as clear as day, how beautiful his mate was. It was there for everyone to see, if only they bothered to look. The proud face, the strong body, oh, yes, it was all there. All that was needed was a few touches here and there, not to mention a few more drastic changes, like that disgusting oil Severus used. If worse come to worse, he would kidnap Severus away from Hogwarts and put him in one of the Manor's well equipped potions labs, only letting him out for food and sex. Maybe then, he would stop using that goop.

Smiling at his whimsical thoughts, Lucius begun to wash with vigour. No matter how much he wanted to remain under the hot water and fantasize about his mate, Severus was right. It was beyond time to start the new day.

HPDM

It was as he was putting on the clothes a helpful house-elf had fetched him that the enormity of the previous day hit him. How could he have forgotten? What type of monster was he? His own sister-in-law had killed his twin brother! And she had had the gall to try and kill off her daughter! Unable to cope with the feelings filling him, Lucius threw his head back and screamed.

"Luce? Salazar, Lucius, what happened? Are you alright? Talk to me, damn it!"

Lucius opened eyes he hadn't been aware of closing, looking into the concerned eyes of his mate. "Sev?" he asked with confusion, wondering absentmindedly why the other man was shaking him harshly.

"Morgana and Circe, don't scare me like that ever again!" Severus snapped angrily, pulling the blond into a crushing hug. "What happened? I heard you scream, and when I came into the bathroom, you weren't responding. You… What happened? Talk to me, Luce," Severus murmured, softening his voice with an effort.

"She killed him, Sev. I was right, that bitch killed him. And do you know why? Because he wanted another child." Lucius let out a sob, burrowing deeper into Severus neck, unable to deal with the memories at the moment.

Severus waited patiently for the worst of the storm to pass, humming softly and running his hand up and down the taught back. Salazar, what a mess! If he ever got his hands on that bitch, she would find out just what exactly what the Death Eaters she despised so much was capable of!

"I knew she disliked me, she made _that_ very clear from day one. But I never realised it was because I was a Veela. It had nothing to do with me being a Death Eater. It had nothing to do with the war, or my fondness of the Dark Arts. It was because I had active Veela Blood. When she found out her children stood a good chance to inherit it as well, she flipped. She killed my brother to prevent more children. And when Cecily inherited the blood, she tried to kill her as well, along with her mate." Lucius' words were slow and halting. On several occasions, his throat closed up so completely that he couldn't speak at all. Severus didn't rush him, allowing him to take his time, knowing he needed to purge himself of the horrors of yesterday, feeling strangely proud that he was able to support this proud, strong man for once instead of the other way around.

Slowly and haltingly, the entire sad tale was spilled, and Severus grieved for the heartache two selfish cold women had caused.

Once the tears had dried up and he felt that Lucius was somewhat back in control again, Severus reached up and kissed the nearest temple. "They are safe now, Luce. All of them. Cecily, Nicholas, Caroline, Orville, Draco, and Harry. They are _all_ safe. Narcissa is practically gone from your life. So is our 'Master'. You can protect them now. Cerise is in jail, and we will make sure she stays there for the rest of her life. She is never coming near any of the children ever again," Severus whispered fiercely into the nearest ear.

Lucius thought the words over carefully. Eventually he relaxed and nodded. He might have been unable to do something before, but he was in charge now. That knowledge was enough for him to find the strength to slowly pull away from the arms holding him so gently. Smiling down at Severus, he darted down and stole a kiss. "Thanks, love. For being there when I needed you. For knowing what to say and when to say it."

"I love you, Luce. I think I always have. Of course, I'll be there for you, whenever you need me," Severus said, trying to convey his commitment to Lucius and his family with his eyes.

"Then you better be prepared to be by my side for the rest of my life," Lucius whispered. "Because I find I can't live without you. Not anymore."

Severus smiled and reached up a hand and pushed away a lock of hair, letting it run through his fingers. "Good!" was all he said. "Now get up. We need to check in on Draco and Harry. We also need to find out how the hell that Portkey managed to get past the house-elves. I thought they were checking all the mail for things like that."

Lucius couldn't help but chuckle. This was the man he loved. Business before pleasure. "Spoilsport." He smiled, but obediently climbed to his feet. Severus was right. They needed to check on the boys; yesterday had not been easy on any of them.

**

* * *

Next Time:  
**Monday morning, can we say 'Prank time!'?  
Also, find out what Dean and Seamus did to Ron for revenge.  
Until Then… 


	46. Finding The Strength To Go On

**Disclaimers:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of his friends, nor his enemies.

**A/N:** I just remembered that I never told you where the quote I used came from. Harry's description of Portkeys in chapter 43, 'Abso-Posi-You better believe it!' comes from the videogame FFX-2 (To be on the safe side, no I don't own them either.)

Thank you Vaughn for your help with the grammar and stuff.

* * *

**Finding The Strength To Go On**

Walking out of the bathroom, his clothes and hair immaculate, Lucius finally felt prepared to face the new day. Standing by the bed, Severus was finishing buttoning the last of the buttons on his teaching robe. His much-disputed hair was falling in soft waves around his face, softening the harsh look of his features, making him more regal-looking than dour. Yes, Lucius would definitely make it his life's mission to show everyone just what it was that they had cast aside as unworthy. Then he would sit back and gloat as everyone was lusting after what was his.

"That is an almost disturbing look for this early in the morning. What on earth are thinking of now?" Severus asked with some exasperation.

Lucius chuckled. "Nothing, love. Come, let us see what the boys are up to. It is far too quiet. I don't know about Harry, but when it comes to Draco, that is the time to worry the most."

Severus rolled his eyes, but he refrained from commenting. Settling the heavy robe on his shoulders, making sure that it fell just right, he nodded to his friend and followed him out the door. The Veela was up to something, and Severus wasn't too sure he wanted to know what he was plotting. Ten to one, it involved him in some way, and he would probably live to regret whatever it was. Better to focus on the boys and hope that Lucius forgot whatever it was that had him smirking smugly at this time of the day. Nodding his head decisively, Severus almost walked right into Lucius, who had stopped abruptly halfway down the stairs.

Lucius, for his part, had become obsessed with worry for the two teens. Both had had a nasty shock, and he couldn't believe that he hadn't went to check on them sooner. Wishes to be with his mate be damned; this was his _son_! What if Draco had done something rash? What if he had lashed out at Harry, scaring the brunet away for good? What if…?

Quickening his pace as one nightmarish scenario after the other flashed across his mind, Lucius came to an abrupt halt as his muddled mind took in what his eyes had been trying to tell him. The immaculate living room that had been there the evening before was gone. In its place was a maze. That was the only word that fit what he was seeing.

The floor was covered with books. Covered with stacks of books. Covered with stacks of books that looked like they were about to fall over any second.

"What in Salazar's name…?" Lucius asked, looking around, searching in vain for any signs of the teens.

"I'd say they've been busy." Severus noted with amusement. "I wonder if they even got to bed, or if they just crashed where they were?"

"But, where did all these books come from?" Lucius asked, feeling overwhelmed and utterly out of his elements. Apparently, the happenings of the previous day had rattled him more than he'd realised.

"The trunks, probably. Remember? Harry stopped by that junkshop and brought back those two trunks? Longbottom's journal, sound familiar?" Severus said, giving his long-time friend a searching look.

The trunks. The first two trunks. The large monstrosities that had taken up space and were filled with filthy tomes. Now he remembered. So much had happened since that shopping trip, he'd totally forgotten about them, in spite of having seen them almost daily. To tell the truth, Lucius had been far more interested in examining the trunks stuffed in the spare room in his private rooms. In comparison, those two steamer trunks had seemed very unimportant to the Head of the Malfoy family. Longbottom's legendary work journal notwithstanding.

Apparently, the boys disagreed. Or maybe they had been in such need of a distraction that anything would do, even uninteresting old books.

Speaking of the boys, where were they? Lucius made his way to Harry's bedroom, expecting to see the two of them sleeping soundly. Unfortunately for the blond's nerves, the room was empty.

"No need to panic, Luce. I've found them."

Lucius took the amusement in Severus' voice to be a good sign. However, heading over to where the Potions Master was standing proved challenging, since he had to navigate between wobbly looking stacks of books that very effectively turned the living room into a treacherous maze. He couldn't have cared less if they were to fall over if it wasn't for the fact that most of them practically reached his shoulders. The only way the boys had managed to stack them that high was by magic, and he wasn't about to find out what would happen if he _did_ knock one over. It wouldn't surprise him in the least if all the stacks fell over, since he didn't know where his son was, he wasn't about to risk it.

Finally, he came to a halt next to Severus, who was looking down at the floor with a tender look on his face most would have said he was incapable of. Following his gaze, Lucius felt his own face melt into a loving smile. There on the floor, wrapped around each other, lay Draco and Harry. Both boys were fast asleep and they were surrounded by a small mountain of books. Taking a peek inside the trunk, Lucius was surprised to find that it _still_ wasn't empty. Just how many books had Harry bought? And where was he planning on storing them? Not in Lucius' rooms, that was for sure! He didn't think Severus would be willing to store the books in _his_ rooms. There was just too many of them!

"Do you think we should wake them up?" Severus asked, sending a glance over at Lucius. "By the looks of it, they didn't get much sleep last night. Maybe we should excuse them from classes today? Yesterday wasn't exactly uneventful."

"If you are to let us rest, then shut up. If not, then shut up anyway. I'm tired," Draco groused, glaring up at his father and godfather. He had been in the middle of the most wonderful dream ever, and the two men's insistent prattle had woken him up from it. Meaning that Draco, at the moment, was one unhappy Veela, in spite of the fact that he'd slept wrapped around his mate.

"How do you feel, my Dragon?" Lucius asked, his voice filled with concern.

Draco thought for a moment. How did he feel? "I feel… numb. I can't believe Aunt Cerise did that! Spending the night with Harry has helped though. It helped a lot."

"I can see that," Lucius noted, indicating the clutter filling the living room. "What in Salazar's name possessed you to do this? And what exactly is it that you did?"

"Hey, don't blame me. It was all Harry's idea. We got talking about attempting to copy the books in Dumbles' office. Harry figured we could do it, but he refused to do so until we'd dealt with these books first."

"Dealt with them how?" Severus asked. "To me it looks like you've done the exact opposite."

Draco merely shrugged his shoulders. "He was annoyingly quiet about that. Insisted we'd sort them first before we did anything else. You haven't moved the stacks around, have you?" he asked with some alarm. As they were now, there was a system to the madness, but if the two adults had moved the stacks about…

"Don't worry, son. We haven't touched them. Or moved them. In fact, I am afraid of getting near them. What would stop them from coming tumbling down, burying all of us underneath a billion old books?" Lucius asked dryly with a wry smile.

Draco chuckled. "I don't think we've reached that number yet. There are quite a few of them though, aren't there? I wonder how we'll ever find the time to read them all." He too looked around the living room, for the first time actually seeing how many books there were. Last night he'd been too busy working on sorting them to really notice. Even with using Harry's Time-Turner, it would take them an eternity to get through them all.

"Assuming, of course, that one wishes to read them," Severus noted drolly, scooping up a few of the books laying next to Harry's feet, giving them a brief once over. He wasn't about to disregard them outright; how could he after Harry had so miraculously found Killian Longbottom's long lost journal? Nevertheless, he had no intention of reading all these books. It would only be a waste of his time, time he could spend better elsewhere. In his lab, for example.

"I don't know, Sev. Just wait and see the cool prank Harry and I are planning. We could use some help with brewing the potion we need though, if you could find it in your heart to help us? We want to get back at Pansy and Weasley."

"Dare I ask what you plan to do? Not something as trite as changing the colour of their hair, I hope," Severus said, lifting his eyes towards the ceiling.

"Please! I am a Malfoy. A Malfoy would never stoop so low as to do something that common and plebeian!" Draco declared hotly.

"What _would_ my son deem a fitting punishment?" Lucius asked, wanting to head off the argument he could feel brewing the between the two Slytherins. They might love each other, but they loved arguing more, and there were times in the past he had actually fled the room just to get some peace and quiet.

"Harry found this cool prank in Claude's diary, Dad. He wanted to get back at his cousin, who had tried to humiliate Claude at his graduation. You're not going to believe what he did to pay that bitch back! He brewed this potion, and on her birthday, he…"

HPDM

It was a tired and rather cranky Harry Potter that woke up the next morning. He had not gotten much sleep the previous night and he was paying for it now. He was warm and comfortable in spite of the unusual firmness of his mattress. No, the thing really irritating him was the voices that insisted on speaking practically in his ear. Didn't they realise he was sleeping here? Grumbling in irritation, Harry snuggled deeper into the body lying next to him, poking at it in annoyance when it refused to stay still.

Draco felt the fingers dig into his side and he shifted away the best he could, before Harry realised he was ticklish.

Harry lifted his head, glared at Draco, and growled something not even he himself could understand, before laying his head back down on the blond's chest, holding onto him with an iron grip. He was tired, and by Merlin, he was going to go back to sleep, and if the others didn't like it, too bad!

"Umm, Harry? Love? Are you awake?" Draco asked, stroking the soft hair that tickled him.

"No!"

"Harry, come on. It's morning." Draco tried again.

"What's that got to do with me?" Harry asked, his voice muffled by Draco's shirt.

"Monday morning, breakfast, classes, any of this ring a bell?" Lucius asked, fighting to hold in his laughter. He didn't think he'd fare well if he openly laughed at Harry Potter, not when he was this grumpy, but by the Founders, the boy was just too… cute.

"Sunday, kidnapping, worried sick, up half the night, does _that_ ring a bell?" Harry shot back, getting more and more cranky. What was _wrong_ with these people?

"I suppose you could stay here and sleep," Draco started to say.

"Good! Now shut up!" Harry snarked.

"But what about our prank?"

Harry froze. All he wanted to do was to go back to sleep. However, Draco did have a point. Did he really want to miss the effects of this prank? Eventually, his mischievous side won out, and he rolled off Draco, laying on his back and staring at the ceiling. "Very well," he stated ungraciously, "but I want it noted that I'm getting up under protest. I was having the best sleep, and I'm not happy you woke me up."

"I believe that is understood by everyone, love," Draco said with amusement, sitting up now that he could move again. "Let's go shower and head down for some breakfast. That should help cure your grumpiness."

Harry shot Draco a look of pure venom. "I'm not grumpy. I am never grumpy. However, a hot shower _does_ sound nice. See you in a while," Harry acknowledged, climbing to his feet and heading towards his bedroom.

Draco got to his feet as well, and navigating carefully, he made his way to his bedroom for his own shower and to change his clothes.

"Why do I have the feeling something is going to happen?" Lucius asked the room in general.

"Because Draco is your son and Harry is practically a Malfoy now. Together, they are turning out to be bigger terrors than the Weasley twins," Severus replied.

Lucius glanced at him from under his lashes. "Are you going to help them with that potion?"

Severus shook his head and let out a longsuffering sigh. "I always help my Slytherins, you know that. There is no reason for you to lay on the charm. Just be prepared to handle the fallout. Parkinson isn't going to take this lying down. Especially considering what she's already been through. She at least will cause a ruckus, and she has the means to cause trouble."

Lucius waved the concerns aside. "The Parkinsons have nothing on the Malfoys. She might scream, but that is all she really can do. Besides, knowing the boys, I bet you there will be no proof they are the ones behind it."

"We shall see. I have better get down to the Great Hall. Breakfast is about to begin, and I need to be present. That reminds me, make sure to eat plenty and above all, healthy today. We need to begin our fast tomorrow, and it will be better if we don't start out feeling hungry."

Lucius nodded his agreement and followed the other man out the door. In all the excitement, he'd almost forgotten their plans for removing the Dark Mark. Things were moving, and quickly. He had wanted a change, but Lucius felt uneasy at the speed things were moving along. Shaking his head in an attempt to dispel his unease, Lucius concentrated on the meeting he was going to request with the Headmaster that morning. That a Portkey had been allowed to slip through the safety net surrounding Harry was inexcusable. Dumbledore had better make sure it never happened again, or Lucius was going to remove the boys from Hogwarts, no matter what the aged man wanted. The boys' safety came first.

HPDM

It was with a huge yawn that Harry ambled into the Great Hall, snuggled up to Draco's side, the blond's arm securely around his shoulders. Casting a glance around the room, Harry couldn't help but chuckle when he noted several more students dressed in leather. Changing his course slightly, he stopped next to Colin Creevey and said, his lips twitching in amusement, "Nice outfit you got there, Colin. It suits you."

"Thank you, Harry, I was hoping you wouldn't mind," Colin said, beaming up at his hero. "I had some trouble talking my parents into it, since they were made of leather and they figured Dennis and I are a bit young to be wearing such clothes. But when they found out it was you who had designed them, they agreed to us getting a few outfits. They really are comfortable, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are. What is the point of wearing uncomfortable clothes?" Harry asked, preparing to head down to his customary spot, in spite of Colin's gesture for them to sit next to him. "See you later, Colin, I need to talk to Neville."

The boy's face fell, but his wave was cheerful when they walked away, and he was soon talking excitedly to his brother.

"Was that really necessary?" Draco complained, sitting down opposite Longbottom and eagerly grasping the plate with French toast. He froze when he noted that something had been already placed on his plate, and he almost didn't hear Harry's comment.

"Of course it was," Harry said, sitting down as well and pouring himself some tea. Maybe that would help wake him up a bit. "This way everyone will know that I don't mind them wearing my clothes, so to speak," he quickly added when both Draco and Neville choked on their tea. "What? Would you prefer that I greeted Nott warmly and complimented him on his clothes?"

"Not bloody likely!" Draco growled, fighting the urge to turn around and hex his fellow snake. Nott did not need any encouragement in pursuing Harry!

Neville decided a change of subject was needed, and addressed the boys for the first time that morning. "Morning, Harry, you look like death warmed over. What did you do? Shag all night?" Neville asked cheerfully, causing Draco to choke for a second time.

"Nah, just got caught in a good book and never noticed how late it got," Harry said with another yawn, not daring to look at the Veela beside him.

"Suuure," Neville drawled with a knowing smirk that was completely lost on Harry. "So where have you been? No one's seen you since that fiasco after the Forgotten Arts class. Did Ron hurt you that bad? I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough to stop him, but I didn't think he'd go so far as to hex you."

Before Harry could even begin to formulate a reply, someone was hugging him tightly and squealing in his ear.

"Merlin, Harry! What happened to you? Are you okay? I heard from Hermione what had happened to you and I could just _murder_ Ron! I couldn't believe it when she told me Ron had tried to use _that_ curse on Draco! I tried to sneak in to the hospital wing to visit you, but you weren't there, and I wasn't about to brave your door guard, even if I knew where your new rooms are, which I don't, and when you didn't post the list for the DA, I just _knew_ things were bad, and are you sure you should be here? Did Madam Pomfrey really give you a clean bill of health?"

Harry and Draco both blinked at the onslaught of words, completely taken aback by the youngest Weasley's actions. Then what she had said registered, and Harry cursed angrily, gently pulling her arms away from his neck. "I'm fine, Gin, thank you for asking. If you'll excuse me?"

Getting to his feet, Harry climbed up to stand on his chair. Looking out over the Great Hall, he pulled his wand and cast _Sonorus_ at his throat. "If I could have your attention please?" he said calmly, waiting for everyone to turn their attention to him. "Thank you. I want to apologise to you for not posting the DA list as I had promised. You've probably heard, if you didn't witness the thing, but I was hexed last Thursday. It broke my nose and resulted in a hairline fracture to my cheekbone." He unconsciously reached up and stroked along the bone in question.

"It is healed now, but it took longer than expected, and by the time I had woken up again, late Saturday afternoon, I had completely forgotten all about it. You have my sincerest apology, and I promise to get it done and posted as quickly as I can. Thank you all for your patience and understanding. _Quietus_." With that, he jumped down from the chair and re-took his seat.

"Are you sure you are alright?" Ginny asked with concern. "I'm going to hex that prat so hard he will feel it for a year!"

"Stand down, Ginny, or do you want an angry Veela after you?" Harry asked with a mixture of worry and bemusement. He didn't think he had ever seen the redhead that angry before.

"Oh, stop glaring at me, Draco, I'm not the Weasley you need to worry about," Ginny snapped when she noted the dark looks the blond Slytherin was giving her.

"What has Ron done this time?" Harry sighed, snagging a couple pieces of toast, dropping them on his plate. He was reaching for the butter, when his brain caught up with him and he froze, looking dumbly down at his plate again.

Pulling his hand back, slowly, he reached down and picked the bread up, peering closer at the bottom of the plate.

Nope, he hadn't been mistaken. There really was a picture of Ron there. A half-dressed Ron with no hair. "What…? How…? When…?" Harry spluttered, not sure what he was feeling.

Ginny laughed a wicked little laugh. "Ron wrote the twins, asking them for help pranking you in retaliation for your 'desertion'." She reached up and put up quotations marks around the word desertion to show that the word was not one she would use to describe the situation. "As you can see, they were not pleased," she added with a chuckle.

"What did they do?" Draco asked, having battled down the nausea at unexpectedly coming face to face with such an unappealing view so early in the morning.

"They sent Ron a letter filled with Bubotuber pus, and they made sure he was covered with the stuff."

Harry couldn't help but snicker. "It still doesn't explain this," he said, waving at the plates.

"Apparently, he was in such a hurry trying to get away from the stuff, that he splattered Dean and Seamus with it as well. The three of them had to spend quite some time in the hospital wing, waiting for the treatment to take affect. To put it mildly, they were not happy. Colin came by, and following his nature, he made sure to document the event. Dean, Seamus, and I then got together and planned this little revenge, with a little help from a certain house-elf," Ginny explained, looking mighty pleased with herself.

"Is that why Ron is sitting with the second years, looking ready to murder Dean and Seamus?" Harry asked, looking over to where Weasley were sitting. He didn't think he had ever seen Ron this pissed off before.

"Yep. Too bad you didn't get here earlier. You should have heard him screaming bloody murder at them, threatening them with bodily harm if they didn't remove the pictures. McGonagall had to step in before it came down to a hexing match. The rest of the students found it very entertaining."

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," Harry said with some admiration.

Ginny just winked at him.

"What happened to the Weasel's hair?" Draco asked, causing Harry to take a second look at the redhead. "It looks like someone took their garden sheers and hacked away at it."

Ginny broke down in a fit of giggles, and it was Neville who answered the question. "When Pomfrey fed him the potion to restore his hair, it grew back a bit longer than Ron expected. It reached almost down to his waist. Needless to say, he was not happy about it. He kept fretting about what his mother would say if she saw him like that."

"He… he asked Hermione to find a spell to cut it for him, only she doesn't hold with those kind of spells, and she was busy researching something else, so in the end, she just gathered it together in a ponytail and cut the tail off. Ron was not happy with the result, and is now refusing to talk to her. Hermione is in a snit because he didn't appreciate her assistance, so now she isn't talking to him," Ginny managed to gasp as she muffled her giggles.

Both Harry and Draco ended up laughing heartily.

"Oh, man, I wish I had been there to see him bald. That must have been a sight to see," Harry sniggered, squinting his eyes as he took a closer look at Ron, trying to picture him without his hair.

"AAAAAARGHHHH! Who did this! Ginny! I'm going to kill you!" Ron roared, coming to his feet with a scream, his hands covering his head that, for the second time, was devoid of all hair.

"Mr. Weasley, kindly cease with this ruckus!" McGonagall snapped, marching over to where he was standing, not looking pleased.

"But look what someone did! I lost all my hair!" Ron wailed, not about to be silenced anytime soon.

"I am all too aware that you lost your hair, Mr. Weasley. That is one of the hazards when you insist on using your brother's products. Instead of standing there, disturbing the entire Great Hall, I suggest you either eat the counter for the prank, or seek out Madam Pomfrey for assistance in getting your hair back. And twenty-five points from Gryffindor for this unseemly display."

"What?"

"I am most displeased with you, Mr. Weasley. At least your brothers were amusing, not to mention, inventive, with their pranks. You, however, are neither. Now get out of here, or you will miss class. If you do, another twenty-five points will be removed from Gryffindor. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Professor," Ron said sullenly, grabbing his bag and swiftly leaving the hall.

McGonagall harrumphed and retook her seat at the teacher's table.

"What do you think happened?" Harry asked, doing his best not laugh hysterically. But really, the sight had been too funny for words. Refocusing on his meal, he reached for the butter once more.

Ginny and Neville both just shrugged their shoulders, not particularly curious about how it had happened, too busy enjoying the fact that it had.

Draco, however, was giving his mate a speculative look. He had suddenly flashed back to the morning when Harry had called Weasley a jackass. The redhead had been unable to speak for hours afterwards, and the Veela couldn't help but wonder how strong Harry's wandless skills were nowadays. However, this was not the place to discuss such matters, so he turned to his breakfast as well, vowing to corner his mate at the earliest opportunity.

"Has anyone told you that mum was here the other day?" Ginny asked suddenly, not sure where to start on that thorny subject, but knowing that the two boys needed to know what had happened.

Both Harry and Draco shook their heads, glancing up from loading their plates with food.

Ginny nodded grimly, and began telling them all that had happened since the attack on Thursday, including Ron's plans on getting the twins involved and his dream of turning Draco into a Ferret once more.

Harry first grew despondent. Then he got angry. Who did Ron think he was? Harry had had more than enough of his idiocy. If Ron wanted a war, then a war he would get!

"Thanks for telling us this, Ginny, but won't you get into trouble for helping us? I can't imagine either your mother or brother taking you warning us lightly."

"Probably not," Ginny sighed. "But I should be fine. I've done nothing but think about what to do for the past few days, when I wasn't worried about you, that is, and no matter how I turn things around, I can't stand back and do nothing. Mum and Ron are wrong. It is as simple as that. If I stood back and didn't warn you, then I would side with them, and even though family is important to me...very important...I can't look to the side. I have to live with myself, and I can't if I allow them to hurt you. Besides, if they suddenly were to become Death Eaters, should I join too,just because my family has? At some point you have to start thinking for yourself, and take responsibility for your own actions."

"You are a good friend, Ginny, and if I can do something to help, let me know."

"Thank you, Harry. Don't forget, Ron might be my brother by blood. You, however, are my brother by love. And that is all he is to me, Draco Malfoy, a brother." She turned to glare at the Veela, before turning back to give Harry an eager look. "So, what did happen to you? It was more than a few broken bones, wasn't it?"

Harry couldn't hep but laugh. That was so Ginny. One moment she appeared to be fifty years old, and then she reverted to six. "You are right, it was a bit more complicated than that, but that is all I'm going to say on the matter," he stated with finality, and Ginny knew better than to pester him.

"Mail's here," Draco noted, looking up, wanting to change the subject. He still wasn't too sure how he felt about the youngest Weasley. "And what a lovely sea of red," he sighed.

He was indeed correct. When the flurry of owls had died down, he had twenty Howlers by his plate, and Harry had thirty-three. Not caring in the least, the two boys incinerated them and continued with their breakfast. The few non-red letters were left for Lucius to look at; neither boy wanted as much as to touch them. Not after what had happened yesterday. At least no one had sent either of them flowers or other mysterious looking packages.

"Mr. Potter, could you please come to my classroom fifteen minutes early? There are a few things that I wish to discuss with you."

Harry looked up in surprise, never having heard his Head of House come up behind him. Seeing the stern look on her face, he lifted an eyebrow but nodded obediently.

"Good," McGonagall stated before sweeping back towards the Head Table.

"What do you think that was all about?" Draco asked, watching the stern witch walk away.

"I have absolutely no idea," Harry said, shaking his head in confusion. He couldn't be in trouble, could he? Glancing around the room as if he was expecting the answer to appear in front of him, Harry did a double take when he took in Neville's appearance for the first time. "Wow! Congratulations, Nev! When were you made Prefect?" he asked enthusiastically, feeling a bit bad that he hadn't noticed the badge earlier.

Draco looked up sharply, his breakfast momentarily forgotten. There, on the chest of the other boy, sat a shining Prefect's badge, glinting as it caught a stray ray of sunlight.

Neville blushed slightly, getting a goofy smile on his face. "Last night. I couldn't believe it when McGonagall came and brought me to see the Headmaster. I thought I was in trouble for sure."

"You deserved to get it, Nev. You've come a long way in the past five years," Harry said, sending his fellow Gryffindor a happy smile.

"Thanks, Harry. That means a lot coming from you."

"So, how did Ron take the news? I'm guessing he isn't happy right now?" Harry asked with a sigh.

Neville shook his head, looking down at the tabletop. "No. He really flipped when he saw the badge on my robe. He started screaming and yelling and then he stomped off to bed, but only after Hermione tore a strip off him. Then _she_ started," he said with an eye roll. "Kept nagging about this rule and that, which I needed to be alert about. It will not be fun to go on patrol with her. In fact, I think it is going to be a nightmare! What's wrong?" Neville asked, giving Draco an odd look as the blond boy began to curse vividly.

"I forgot to go on patrol! Pansy and I have nights, Friday to Sunday. With Harry hurt, I completely forgot about it. She will be impossible!" Draco said, folding his arms and pouting.

"Poor Draco," Harry said with an understanding smile, wrapping an arm around the Veela's shoulders. "I'm kind of glad you forgot though," he admitted with a blush.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, the way she's been behaving, I don't want you anywhere near her. Not unless I'm there with you."

Draco looked wonderingly at Harry. Then he smiled and leaned forward to give his mate a kiss on the cheek. Harry's blush intensified and he ducked his head, giving the blond a light shove.

Desperate for a change of subject, Harry looked at Neville and asked the question he'd been about to ask before he got sidetracked. "So, how did Dean and Seamus take the news?"

"They both congratulated me. Seamus even going so far to say 'better you than me, mate'," Neville said with a chuckle. Then he grew serious. "When I finally got away from Hermione and made it to the dorm, Ron started in on me again, telling me what a bad choice Dumbledore had made, and how it was clear that he was scraping the bottom of the dregs, and that he must be pretty desperate if he gave the badge to me. I was pretty shook up by some of the things he said, and I had no idea what to say or do to get him to shut up."

Harry growled in anger. How dare Ron say such things about Neville? Sweet, shy, Neville, who hated to hurt anyone, no matter who they were.

"Dean and Seamus actually came to my aid, spelling him silent and threatening to keep him that way unless he shut his trap."

"Good for you, Neville. Ron had no right to say such things about you! You have come such a long way since first year, and you are too worthy of wearing that badge," Harry said hotly, looking the other boy in the eye to show he was earnest.

"Don't mind that prat," Draco said, earning himself surprised looks by the three Gryffindors. "What? Clearly, the Weasel is jealous. I'm thinking that he doesn't handle setbacks well. He was given a responsibility, and he chooses to throw it away. He was the one to cast that curse. He was the one who choose to act like a prat. No one else forced him to do that. You, on the other hand, have proven time and again what kind of stuff you are made of. Wear that badge with pride, and ignore the jackasses," Draco declared, turning back to his tea, feeling a little embarrassed with his speech.

Harry looked at the Veela with shining eyes, and then he threw his arms around him and hugged him tightly, whispering a heartfelt 'thank you'. Turning back to Neville, still with his arms wrapped around Draco, who wasn't about to protest, Harry got a decidedly devilish look in his eyes and commented, "You've got that badge now, Nev. It is against the rules to be disrespectful toward the professors, _and_ toward the Prefect. If Ron can't keep his mouth shut, remove points until he does. I think the rest of the House will help him learn if it goes on long enough."

Neville got a speculative look in his eyes as well. Then his face fell. "Hermione would never go for that," he sighed regretfully.

Harry released Draco and picked up his toast. "Hermione is a Prefect as well. If she doesn't back you, remind her that her badge isn't that firmly attached and could be removed as well. If nothing else, a few hints about not making Head Girl should make her see reason." Harry shrugged and bit into the bread. If they were to make it to McGonagall on time, they needed to finish their breakfast in a hurry.

Neville began eating again as well, a thoughtful look in his face.

"If she is giving you too much of a hassle, or if Ron does, come and find me, Nev. I'm a Prefect too, you know, and I'm sure that together we should be able to keep those two in check."

"Thanks, Gin, I might just take you up on that," Neville said, sending her a shy glance and a small smile.

Harry drained the last of his tea and climbed to his feet. "Are you finished?" he asked, looking down at Draco, unconsciously holding out his hand for the other to take.

Draco accepted the hand and rose to his feet as well. Together they walked towards the exit, the blond keeping his hold on the hand, noting happily that Harry didn't seem to be in a hurry to let go either.

Opening the door, he heard lusty sighs from just about every table, and he turned around and sent a glare around the room. Acting on an impulse, he pulled Harry into a one-armed embrace while drawing his wand with his unoccupied hand, casting a quick _Sonorus_.

"It would seem that some of you are more thick than I thought possible, so let me spell something out to you! _I_ am a Veela. Harry here is my mate. He has accepted that he is my mate, and has not in any way, shape, or form rejected me. That means that he is Off. The. Market. He is _n__ot_ available! So keep your bloody hands to yourself. The next person coming near us, drenched in perfume and not showing proper decorum, _will_ be hexed, jinxed, cursed, and then dumped headfirst into the lake. I hope I have made myself clear!"

With that, he turned around smartly, pulling Harry with him out of the Great Hall, ending the spell before he said something about the school population's incredible stupidity.

Behind the boys, a shell-shocked student body sat frozen, staring in shock at the now closed doors. Up at the teacher's table, the professors were whispering among themselves, shocked and appalled at the things Malfoy had said. Severus and Lucius shared a glance and were forced to bite back their sniggers. They had been wondering how long Draco would manage to keep his cool before he blew his top. It looked like he had reached his limit. The next few days should be interesting, to say the least.

HPDM

Draco grumbled all the way to the Transfiguration classroom, with Harry biting back sniggers at some of the more creative insults the blond issued towards choice students.

Peeking into the classroom only to find it empty, Harry dragged Draco into an unused classroom on the opposite side of the corridor. "Draco Malfoy, you are a prat sometimes, but I love you all the same," Harry said with a tender smile. "Now, could you keep guard while I pop down into the trunk and get the proposal for McGonagall? I want to get that project started as soon as possible, and this seems to be an ideal time to show it to her."

Draco got a goofy look on his face when he heard Harry's first words. It quickly morphed into an unhappy look when he heard what the brunet wanted to do, but he nodded his agreement, biting back a sigh. He needed to show Harry that he trusted him. Besides, it would be amusing to see Dumbledore's reactions to Harry's project.

"Thanks Draco, I won't be long." Harry reassured him, reaching up to remove the armband he had taken to wearing again.

True to his word, he was gone no more than five minutes, re-emerging from the trunk carrying the scroll and a large book, its cover cracked with age.

Peeking into the corridor to make sure it was still empty, the two boys left the room and walked into their classroom, where McGonagall was now waiting for them.

"Ah, there you are. Mr. Potter, I wanted to give you this and give you a few instructions in private," McGonagall began, holding up a Prefects Badge towards Harry, who looked at it with a look of incomprehension on his face.

"Professor?"

"As Lord Malfoy has reminded us, a Veela and his partner are entitled to the same ranks and privileges; the only exemption is Quidditch. By the way, Mr. Malfoy, you will need to see Madam Hooch soon to schedule a tryout for the Slytherin team."

Draco nodded, noting the pinched look on the professor's face. It was clear that she was not happy with Harry's decision to quit the team. "Yes, Professor."

"Harry, as you know, we were contemplating giving you this badge last year. However, the Headmaster felt that you would be too swamped with other things to utilise such a privilege fully. Unfortunately, Ronald Weasley proved to be a poor choice for your substitute. His badge has now been given to Neville Longbottom."

Harry bit back a snort about the 'too swamped' comment. That wasn't exactly how Dumbledore had put it, but he supposed the old man wouldn't talk about the prophecy unless he absolutely had to.

"Harry, I am very happy to give this to you. You have proven to be a very mature young man, and I know that your parents would have been very proud of you." McGonagall smiled down at him, as she stepped forward and pinned the badge to his robe.

Harry choked with emotions, and he looked down while he did his best to blink away the tears that was threatening to fall from his suddenly too full eyes. "Thank you, Professor, that means a lot to me," he murmured once he trusted his voice again.

McGonagall smiled and patted his shoulder. "Why don't you take a seat, gentlemen, the class should begin soon."

"Yes, ma'am." Harry nodded and started to turn as if he was about to obey the order. Then he paused and glanced back at the professor, who was still watching them. "Um, Professor? I was wondering…"

"Yes, Mr. Potter?"

"Pansy Parkinson is the other sixth year Perfect in Slytherin, and, well…. We don't exactly go along. To be frank, I don't want her anywhere near Draco if I can help it! I was wondering, would it be possible to change partners? Could Neville work with Draco and I? I have a feeling Hermione won't support him, and this way a lot of aggravation and strife could be avoided."

McGonagall gave them a searching look. "Have you discussed this with Mr. Longbottom?"

"No. However, I think it is a good idea. I don't mind Longbottom, and I would prefer to work with him rather than Parkinson," Draco said with a confident air. He would work with Granger even, if it got him away from Pansy Parkinson. Trust Harry to find a way out of a potentionally difficult situation.

"Very well, I will talk to Mr. Longbottom and to Severus and see what can be arranged," McGonagall said, not about to commit herself just yet. Although even she could see the benefit of keeping the pair and Parkinson as far away from each other as possible.

"That reminds me. Mr. Potter, you are to serve a detention with me. Report to my office tomorrow night at eight o'clock."

"Whatever for?" Harry asked in confusion. He wasn't aware of having done anything earning him a detention.

"You skipped school the other day. I understand you were under the impression that Lord Malfoy had given you leave to take the day off. However, he is not a professor of this school, and as such, has no authority in school matters," McGonagall said somewhat stiffly. She didn't fully agree with Dumbledore on this. Still, she wasn't about to openly defy him by refusing his wishes.

Draco was scowling angrily at the professor. She was Deputy Headmistress, for Salazar's sake! That title carried a lot of weight on its own, and she was well within her powers to challenge the Headmaster if she thought him to be in the wrong. Had she done that? Nooo, she, just like everyone else, was bending over backwards to fulfil the old coot's smallest whim. This called for revenge!

"I understand," Harry said, feeling disappointed in Dumbledore. Biting back a sigh, Harry resigned himself to an unpleasant evening. The Headmaster was clearly up to something. "Very well, I will comply with your wishes. However, there was one more thing I wanted to talk to you about this morning. I was considering doing extra credit work, and, well, I could really use your input," Harry stammered, stumbling over his words now that he was about to put things into motion. What if she thought it to be utter rubbish? What if…?

As if he had sensed his inner turmoil, Draco reached out and grasped Harry's hand, tugging him close and tucking him into his side. Harry smiled up at him in a sideway glance, accepting the comfort that was so willingly given.

McGonagall watched them with a tender smile. They were good for each other; even a blind could see that. "Why don't I take a look now, while we wait for the others to arrive?" she asked gently, holding out her hand for the scroll the brunet held tightly enough to cause it to crumble.

Harry blushed slightly, and handed over the now severely creased scroll without a word. McGonagall retreated back to her desk while the boys took the same seats they had occupied last Monday.

Unrolling the scroll, she quickly began to skim it, not sure what to expect. Harry had never shown a large aptitude in learning before, no matter his excellent heritage. Considering whom his parents were, it was extremely strange that he hadn't shown a larger interest in learning, and Minerva had always found it strange that he only ranked medium when his parents had topped their classes in Charms, Transfigurations, and Potions.

Such musing quickly fled her mind when she came to realise just exactly what it was Harry wanted to do. If it was even remotely possible… why the possibilities… it was enough to rock the wizarding world to its core.

"You are referring to a book, Mr. Potter. Do you still have access to it? Where did you ever find it? It is not one I have heard of before," she asked, brimming with excitement. To be part of something like this… it was a dream come true!

"I brought it with me, Professor," Harry said, rising to his feet and walking over to the teacher's desk, clutching the thick book to his chest. "As for where I found it, I bought a few books from a junkshop once, and it was among those books. It sounded interesting, and I've been working on and off, trying to read it." Harry blushed and ducked his head, not believing that he was lying to his Head of House so boldly in her face.

McGonagall took the blush and the faltering air to be nerves and brushed it aside, not giving it another thought. Accepting the book, she glanced through it. Groaning, she understood the comment of 'trying to read it'. The book was written in runes. A very ancient form of runes, if she wasn't mistaken. She should be able to read it though; she had, at one time, been extremely proficient at runes, since much of her different research projects had included going through sources written in them. However, that didn't mean that she enjoyed reading the damned things! They always gave her a headache.

"With your permission, I would like to read through the book. The concept you are bringing forth, is entirely new to me, and for me to be able to give you an honest opinion, I need to understand it better."

Harry broke into a happy smile. "You would? Oh, thank you, Professor! Of course you may borrow the book! I will look forward to hear your opinions; you are the Master, after all."

"Hardly a Master, Harry," McGonagall said with a chuckle. Hearing approaching feet outside the door, she quickly put the scroll and the book in one of the desk drawers, locking it with a complex spell, making sure no one but her could get into that drawer with ease.

Harry grinned and gave her a small nod before resuming his seat beside Draco. Giving the Veela a cheerful wink, the two boys shared a knowing grin. Dumbledore, look out!

HPDM

"Good morning, class," McGonagall greeted her students once everyone was sitting down, nodding as they answered her. This morning no one had been late. Everyone had been sitting in their seat several minutes before the bell rang, signalling the start of the first class of the day. "Today we will continue with our lesson in Transfiguration across the boundaries. This time, however, we will turn a cold-blooded animal into a warm-blooded one. We will be working with toads, and I have written a list on the... what in the world is going on _now_?" she asked, exasperated.

A great clanking could be heard from outside, and she strode to the door, yanked it open, only this time she had her wand in hand, just in case. Three suits of armour clanked past her, gently pushing her aside. When they came to the front of the classroom, they came to stand side by side. On some signal only the armours perceived, all three of them began to sing at the same time.

It wouldn't have been so bad -- they had amazing voices and the echoes from their chests made for an interesting sound effect. The problem was that they each had chosen a different ballad.

McGonagall stood at the bottom of the classroom and just stared, mouth agape. Never in her career had anything like _this_ happened. Not even the Marauders at their worst could have dreamed up something this insane! Gathering herself, she tried the most common cancellations spells; none worked, which didn't surprise her in the least. Life just couldn't be that simple. In desperation, she tried to mute them only to have the volume increase a notch. She didn't dare try again.

"It will seem we need to find a new classroom," McGonagall said loudly to be heard over the entertainers. Gesturing for the students to follow her, she led them to an abandoned classroom a few doors down.

Unfortunately, the students weren't the only ones following her. The suits of armour did as well. They happily arranged themselves at the top of the classroom once more, and continued to sing. Not one of them using the same song as his two companions.

In the end, McGonagall threw her hands up in disgust and said, "Class dismissed. I will re-schedule this lesson at a later date."

The students packed up their things -- again -- and left in groups, chatting excitedly amongst themselves. The suits of armour trailed after them and attached themselves to the three largest groups, serenading them wherever they went. The hilarity of the situation soon became old and everyone sighed with relief when the suits suddenly grew mute, often in mid-verse, and began to return to their places.

An infuriated McGonagall cornered Dumbledore in his office as he was about to leave for lunch, demanding that something be done. "This is the second Monday this happens, Albus, and it is intolerable! An entire morning ruined! Something has to be done, and now!"

"What will you have me do, Minerva? We have no idea who is behind this. For all we know, it might very well be a plot by Lord Voldemort himself. All we can do is to keep our eyes open and hope we will find the information we need to stop further attempts to distract us. I will make a plea to the student-body for anyone who has seen something to step forward. I will even offer immunity to those responsible, as long as they admit to the prank."

"At least I had the sense to keep the door closed," Severus said smugly. "All that was needed was a simple charm to keep the noise at bay."

"I have a responsibility to find out what is going on at the school, Severus. As Deputy Headmistress, I was not about to keep my eyes closed and leave a disturbance unchecked," McGonagall shot back, reminding those present of an angry cat.

"Severus, Minerva, we will not find anything standing here arguing with each other. Filius, can I trouble you to go and check the suits for any clues? Severus, would you be so kind and accompany him? Minerva, I want you present when I address the children."

The three teachers nodded and left to do as asked. Albus sighed tiredly. It was small consolation that the blasted things had only been singing this time. He himself had had his office invaded by no less than four suits of armour. Only two had hit the same ballads at the same time. He had no idea how they had managed to get past the guard. His head was aching something fierce, and now he had to deal with the little monsters. At least his lemon drops tasted like lemon drops again. If he _ever_ found the one responsible, he would grant Argus his wish to use the chains and the thumbscrews. He even might allow him to use the rack, as long as there was no lasting damage, of course.

The only good thing of that entire fiasco was that Lucius had left in a huff. The man was getting more and more demanding each time they spoke. Why couldn't everyone leave him alone? Didn't they understand what he was trying to accomplish? How was he to win this war if he was troubled all the time with petty details, like who deserved to become Prefect? Did they realise he couldn't care less about such details? He had bigger fish to fry. He needed to find out what Riddle was up to and put a damper to those plans until Harry was old enough to deal with the Dark Lord.

Plopping a lemon drop into his mouth, Albus climbed to his feet with another tired sigh. There was no rest for the weary. He had always claimed that he preferred being the Headmaster of Hogwarts rather than dealing with the politics that came with being Minister of Magic, but he was beginning to re-evaluate his reasoning.

Albus had always felt that he could influence more people by being a visible figurehead for the Light among the children of the wizarding world. That he would be able to pick out the ones he wanted on his side and mould them to become the perfect followers while he -- gently -- urged those he deemed less worthy away from him and his.

There were times though, times like these, when he almost regretted, _almost_, mind you, not taking the post as Minister of Magic. At least then, he wouldn't have to deal with pranks and juvenile behaviour!

* * *

**Next Time:**  
We find out more about what happened to Draco's cousins.  
And Draco has a big confrontation with Hermione.  
Until Then… 


	47. A New Day – A New Start

**Disclaimer: **I do not own them, and I am not making any money either.

**A/N: **For the first time ever I find myself not entirely happy with a chapter. I've rewritten the beginning several times and maybe that is the problem. Anyway, here it is and I hope you will enjoy it.

A big thank you to Vaughn for her help with the grammar. In addition, an equally big thanks to all of you who have reviewed.

* * *

**A New Day – A New Start**

Lucius watched over the boys from the Head Table, while chatting amiably with Severus as he ate his scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausages. He noted with some worry when the time for mail came that the Howlers didn't look like they had lessened in numbers. Idly, he considered asking the boys to save a few so he could find out what it was exactly people were protesting against. He hadn't bothered to find out while Harry had been incapacitated since he figured things would soon calm down. After all, how long could you hold a grudge against a teen for wanting to wear leather? He'd been so sure some other 'scandal' would appear and turn people's attention away from their saviour. Besides, he'd had other things to worry about than what a few simpletons had been shouting about.

Maybe he had been wrong? Come to think of it, for the past two days, there hadn't been any Howlers at all, making him believe he'd been correct in his assumptions; did the senders wait for such times when they knew there would be a maximum audience for their venom? If so, he really needed to find out what was going on in people's minds.

Then again, perhaps it wasn't the leather issue the masses were raging against after all. It could be the fact that Harry had chosen to be with a Malfoy. Looking pensively at his son and heir, Lucius noted that his pile of red letters was almost as high as Harry's. Before he could come to a decision, the boys took matters into their own hands and burned the things, banishing the ashes.

Severus left shortly thereafter to prepare for his first class, and to add that disgusting glop to his hair, no doubt. Lucius observed with hidden glee that several students, mostly girls, were giving their professor strange looks; apparently, they were trying to figure out what was different about the Potions Master today. Harry and Draco left as well, and Lucius noted the piles of letters left behind absentmindedly. Apparently, they didn't want to risk anything, especially so soon after the latest fiasco. Standing, Lucius calmly walked over to the Gryffindor table, and after a quick yet thorough check, he picked the mail up and turned back to Dumbledore.

"I believe we have a few things to talk about, Headmaster," Lucius stated evenly, once he was back at the Head Table.

"Can this wait until a later time?" Dumbledore asked with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"I'm afraid not. Something disturbing happened yesterday, and I wish to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Albus sighed, but got to his feet. "Very well, Lucius. Let's take this to my office. I hope the boys are fine? We haven't seen either Harry or Draco for several days now."

"That is the reason I wish to talk to you," Lucius said ominously and refused to comment any further.

HPDM

"Please have a seat, my dear boy. A lemon drop?" Albus asked with cheer he did not feel once he was safely seated behind his desk. He knew it was a false sense of security, but he always felt better taking on the likes of Malfoy when he was in the position of power. The chair behind his desk represented just that, power. One of the reasons he amused himself with conjuring the most hideous armchairs he could think of was that they underscored the difference between his visitor's seat and his own.

"No, thank you. As you know, Harry had some trouble recovering from the assault Ronald Weasley subjected him to. His newfound allergies complicated matters, but fortunately Severus managed to find a potion that helped him. He is now fully recovered, something I am sure you are pleased to hear.

"A new problem was made known to me, however, yesterday afternoon, when my son was kidnapped from his and Harry's rooms." Lucius began his salvo standing behind the latest monstrosity -- a neon bright yellow chair covered in bright red phoenixes -- resting his hands lightly on the back of the thing, holding tightly onto his cane.

"Draco was kidnapped?" Albus asked, a bit alarmed. If someone could get their hands on Draco Malfoy, they needed to up the security to ensure Harry's safety.

"Yes, via a Portkey. Someone had sent Harry some roses, and when Draco went to investigate, he fell victim to the thing. What I would like to know is _how_ a Portkey made it inside their rooms, after you assured me that you would make sure no such thing could happen again.

"And do you really think it is wise that the boys still get their mail at the breakfast table? There is no way you are able to check the mail for dangerous substances, curses, and hexes. Or are you trying to tell me that you are somehow monitoring the children's mail?" Lucius purred, giving Dumbledore a predatory look.

"I am just as upset as you are that Draco was kidnapped. Why didn't you inform me? I could have helped you arrange a rescue party."

"That question is moot since, obviously, I got my son back," Lucius said, sending a disapproving look at Dumbledore. "The issue here is _how_ that Portkey made it into their rooms."

Albus sighed and leaned back in his seat, plopping a lemon drop into his mouth to buy himself some time. "Like I said, I don't know how this happened. I ordered the house-elves to make sure that nothing dangerous made its way anywhere near them. Obviously they failed, which I find very surprising since they normally are very reliable. As for allowing the boys to accept their mail, I have the elves take a quick scan as the mail reaches the table, and anything dangerous is removed."

"So you don't find Howlers from people Harry doesn't know, shouting about Circe knows what, not to be dangerous to him? It is becoming frightingly clear that you and I do not see eye to eye on a lot of things. I demand that the mail addressed to Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy is diverted to my rooms. From now on, I will decide what is harmful and what is not."

"Very well, I will see to it immediately. If that is all?" Albus asked, hoping to get the aristocrat out of his office.

"Not at all," Lucius said with a small smirk, changing the thing Dumbledore called a chair to something much more suitable for a Malfoy. Each time he was forced to come to this office, it became more and more clear that the man was colour-blind. He might be one of the most powerful wizards of their time, but the man had no sense for colours in the least. Settling comfortably into the now black leather chair, Lucius took his time making himself comfortable before refocusing his attention on the not so patiently waiting Headmaster. "I wanted to discuss why you haven't appointed a new Gryffindor Prefect yet. You've had several days, after all; how difficult can it be?" he asked blandly, as if the answer held no importance to him.

"As a matter of fact, I have," Dumbledore said almost smugly, taking great delight in removing the winds from Malfoy's sails. "Neville Longbottom was chosen to replace Ronald Weasley, and Harry should be receiving his Prefect's badge as we speak."

"Took you long enough," Lucius mumbled with disdain.

"You realise, of course, that this will make reconciliation between young Ronald and Harry next to impossible."

"Do you really believe that I will allow that boy to come anywhere near Harry after what he has done?" Lucius asked, allowing some of his astonishment show at the mere thought of allowing the friendship between the boys to resume.

"Now, now, Lucius let us not be hasty. I am positive that young Ronald will apologise to both Harry and to your son once he has had some time to consider his actions. The child has a temper, and alienating him from his friends will serve no purpose that will benefit us, or him, in the long run.

"As for Ron and Harry remaining friends, that is not something you can dictate, Lucius. Harry is his own person and he takes orders from no one in the matters of the heart," Albus scolded gently, wanting to make it perfectly clear to the young man that neither he nor Harry would take kindly to that type of meddling.

Lucius, for his part, merely snorted. If Dumbledore wanted to believe that a reconciliation was possible between Harry and his former friend, than that was no skin off Lucius' nose. He couldn't help wondering, though, was the old man really that senile or did he know something the rest of them didn't? "I don't need to forbid Harry to spend time with Ronald Weasley; that hot-headed menace is doing a fine job on his own of driving his friends away."

Giving the old man a searching look, Lucius couldn't help but wonder, _What exactly is it you are afraid of? What is it that you think one immature little boy with no connections is able to do to the great and mighty Albus Dumbledore? Surely you haven't allowed Molly Weasley to gain that much power within that Order of yours?_ _I wonder if Mercury knows anything? I will have to remember and ask him when I see him next._

"Now, Lucius, that is not entirely correct, as you well know. Ronald has had some help on that front. I want you to talk to your son, and make it clear to him that he should make an effort to stop egging Ron on. He needs to step back and allow Ron and Harry to find their friendship again. He should know by know that Ronald poses no threat to him concerning his relationship with Harry-"

"Is that what you truly believe? That the problem between Harry and the youngest Weasley boy is Draco?" Lucius asked, torn between being flabbergasted and outraged. "Salazar, you really have gone mental in your old age!"

"Lucius, I would watch what I say if I were you. I still hold more power than you do. Your name and reputation have been too tarnished lately. You picked the losing side, and you are paying for that now. Not even allying yourself with Harry will remove that stain anytime soon. You will leave Ronald to me, and you will not interfere with his attempts to win back Harry's friendship. Is that understood?"

"I hear you, Albus," Lucius said dryly, not about to confront the aged wizard in his own office. Not that he feared anything the other man could do, but only a fool would jeopardise his future, especially when he was so close to being free to bond with Severus. He wasn't about to leave without a warning shot of his own though. "I hear you loud and clear. I wouldn't count on getting my own way, not this time. For someone who has put so much time and effort in creating a meek and loyal follower, you don't seem to know the boy very well, do you? Why, in Salazar's name, should Harry put up with the nonsense of Ronald Weasley? Because he always has in the past? Sloppy thinking, that, Headmaster. Really sloppy," Lucius said with a tone of voice he knew would infuriate Dumbledore. The man was so predictable at times, for all his advantage of age and his wisdom.

"I know him better than you do, Lucius. I have followed Harry for the past five years. We are going through a rough spot at the moment, I admit that, but it will soon pass and Harry will once more take my advice."

Lucius merely shook his head, not bothering to argue the point. Let the old man keep his blinders on for a bit longer. The awakening would be abrupt and sudden, and Lucius was determined to be there when it happened so he could smirk his best smirk and tell the fool 'I told you so'.

"Now, Lucius… what in the world is that noise?" Albus broke off whatever he was going to say to stare in astonishment at the four suits clanking up the stairs and into his office. Lucius woke from the paralysis first and nimbly moved out of the way, remembering vividly what had happened the previous Monday. He did not need another bruise.

Both men' jaws fell open when the armours cheerfully lined up in front of where Fawkes was perched and began to sing. The four of them had chosen well, singing several old ballads, suited for the time periods the different armours came from. Unfortunately, they had not picked the same ballads to start with. Individually, they had amazing voices and any choir leader would have given their eye-teeth to lure them to their choirs; unfortunately, that good quality was lost in the cacophony created when four people loudly and strongly sing three different songs at the same time.

Lucius stood frozen to his spot and listened with horrified fascination for several minutes. Eventually, he came to his senses, and remembering how long this had lasted the last time, he figured he could spend his time more productively elsewhere and silently slipped away from the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore never even noticed as he desperately tried to get the suits to shut the hell up.

HPDM

It was with a sense of relief that Lucius exited Hogwarts. He had been accosted by no less than five different armours on the way between Dumbledore's office and the front doors. Each and every one of those suits had stuck to him like glue, in spite of his best efforts to lose them on his way through the corridors, using every shortcut he could remember from his schooldays, to no avail. He had even gone out of his way to use as many staircases as possible, thinking that they would have difficulty keeping up, enabling him to give them the slip. His plans had not worked. For once, the blasted stairs had kept still, not moving until he and his 'honour guard' had all passed.

He was going to get Harry for this, Lucius vowed. Three of those damned things had sung three of his favourite ballads, and he was never going to be able to listen to those songs again without remembering this day.

Fortunately, the suits seemed unable to leave the castle, so they were left behind in the doorway. To compensate, they sang louder and louder the further away he got. Lucius let out a sigh of relief when he _finally_ reached the wards and was able to Apparate away; those suits of armour had a healthy set of lungs in them.

Landing in a side alley behind Gringotts, Lucius swiftly made his way to where Mercury had his office. He had been so relieved when his cousin (four times removed) had decided to follow his father's and his grandfather's footsteps and become a solicitor. Mercury belonged to a sideline of the family, but the two cousins still looked alike enough to be mistaken for twins. It was the Malfoy Veela Blood, and Lucius had not been surprised when his cousin came into his inheritance when he turned sixteen.

However, while Lucius had grown up rich, and truth be told, spoiled beyond belief, Mercury had had a much more humble upbringing. His father worked for the Head of the Family, but they had nowhere near the amount of money the main line possessed. It had been a source of strife between the boys as they grew up, and it had prevented them from being as close as they could have been.

All that changed though, when Lucius turned sixteen, two years after Mercury had, and his life had suddenly gone to hell. Once the future solicitor had realised what the Head of the Family had done to his oldest son, Mercury stopped being jealous and had privately vowed to his cousin to do anything in his power to help him make his life tolerable. For a long time, there wasn't much he could do, save managing the family fortune and hiding away as much of it as possible from Narcissa, making sure her expensive ways didn't empty the vaults completely.

Mercury had also proven himself to be a true friend, lending both an ear and a shoulder when life threatened to bring the proud man crashing to his knees.

Lucius quickened his steps. He couldn't wait to inform his confidant that he would soon leave the Hell he was currently residing in behind forever. Mercury knew something was up, after all, Lucius _had_ asked him to prepare to kick Narcissa Black Malfoy out, but he didn't think the solicitor realised just how close the day was when that witch would be out of their lives for good.

Then he snickered; Mercury would appreciate the predicament Narcissa currently found herself in. With her stuck on an island with only her sister for company, Mercury would have a much easier time preparing the divorce, without having to worry about what counter measures Narcissa could come up with.

Stepping inside the building housing his cousin's office, Lucius quickly climbed the stairs to the second floor and entered the warm-looking reception area. Nodding to the elderly witch sitting behind the desk, Lucius didn't bother to stop and ask if Mercury was free, but merely strode across the room and opened the doors to the inner sanctum.

This too was decorated to give off a warm and friendly air. Where once the décor had been done in a sterile black and white, giving the office about as much warmth as Hogwarts' hospital wing, it was now done in tones of beige, red and yellows, with a few hints of green here and there.

Lucius always relaxed whenever he came here, and he knew he wasn't the only one having that reaction. Many a tough businessman had come here, set on making a fool of the upstart solicitor, only to walk out again, but not the victor. Most had no idea how that had happened. This had resulted in many an outcry of unduly use of sorcery and magic in the early days.

Lucius had lost count of how many times the Aurors had been sent to check the office, attempting to spot what spells had been used. No one had ever found anything, because there was no magic to be found. Mercury didn't use such trickery. He didn't have to. He was that good a solicitor, and the décor in his office was only one of many tricks up his sleeve which he put to good use against his opponents.

Besides that, as Mercury once had said to his relative, why should he be made to suffer, being forced to spend so much of his time stuck in a room he hated? No constructive work could come from a situation like that. Lucius had merely shrugged his shoulders and discretely helped fund the redecorations once Mercury had taken over the Family business. It was money well spent, and he did not regret one Knut of the money he had ended up donating.

"Morning, Cousin, I must say you look better today than you did yesterday," Mercury commented once the doors had closed behind Lucius. Picking up his wand, the solicitor put up a few very complex wards to ensure that the things discussed would remain private. They had both learned the hard way that not all reporters had scruples, and that most would do anything to score a scoop. These days wards against Animagi were routine, as was a few other wards that would give anyone trying to listen in a rather nasty shock.

"I'm feeling much better, thank you. I was able to spend some time with Severus and that helped me a lot. It would help me even more to know how the children are doing. How is poor Cecily?" Lucius asked with some concern, settling comfortably in the chair opposite Mercury. Thank Salazar, it was nothing like the monstrosity Dumbledore had tried to foist upon him earlier this morning.

"Cecily is with her mate under my wife's care, as are Caroline and Orville. Nicholas is at school, and we haven't contacted him yet. I don't think he knew what was going on; he was away, staying with some friends, when Cecily met Jason."

"Jason?" Lucius inquired, lifting an eyebrow.

"Jason Donovan. That is the name of the boy. He has just turned sixteen, and it would seem he too carries the Veela blood. He is only about one-quarter Veela though."

"Then why in the nine hells didn't he and his parents _do_ something when that thrice damned bitch kept them apart? One call to the Veela court and this entire mess could have been avoided! That is why there _is_ a Veela court!" Lucius exploded, coming up out of his chair and beginning to pace around the office, unable to sit still.

"Because they didn't know what was going on," Mercury replied mildly, not wanting to set off Lucius further.

"They didn't know? How could they _not_ know? He is their son!" Lucius snapped, rounding on his friend.

"Yes, he is, but only by adoption."

That brought Lucius up short. "Adoption?" he asked dumbly.

"Yes. From what little I've managed to find out, Jason was adopted when he was six months old by a childless Australian couple. Apparently, he was found on the beach one morning after a storm, and when no one came forward to claim him, the social worker handling the case swiftly and discreetly arranged for his younger sister to adopt the boy. She and her husband had been trying for years to become with child, with no success. Naturally, they jumped at the opportunity. No one realised he was magical until years later, and by then, it was too late. His parents claimed the boy was theirs, and the Australian wizard authorities had no reason not to believe them and have treated him like any other Muggle-born.

"When Jason turned sixteen at the beginning of the summer, they did not realise what that signified, especially since they had given him Christmas Eve as his birth date, claiming him to be their Christmas miracle," Mercury said, making a face.

Lucius agreed wholeheartedly. "Wait a minute. If Jason is Australian, how did he end up in France?"

"Apparently, he became listless and only moped around in his room after he came into his inheritance, a common occurrence, as you know, for a Veela who hasn't found their mate. The doctors they visited all suggested it was a reaction to the O.W.L.s and advised plenty of rest and a change of scenery. The Donovans talked it over, and thus the plans for a tour of Europe were born. They met Cecily by chance and the rest, as they say, is history."

"What type of doctors did those fools visit?" Lucius demanded to know. "Muggle ones? How could they not know the boy was part Veela?"

"I have made a few inquiries this morning, and it would seem not many Veelas reside in Australia. In fact, that continent is the only place on this earth where they never established any colonies; no one I've been talking to knows why."

Lucius groaned and sank back into the chair. What a mess. "What did the boy's parents have to say about all this? I presume you've been talking to them?"

"Yes, I have. They were not happy with us for kidnapping their precious baby boy."

"Kidnapping!" Lucius snorted. "More like saved his life! Are they going to cause trouble?"

"No. Not at the moment. I have invited them to come over at a later date to see for themselves that Jason is fine, and to meet their daughter-in-law. I don't think they realised what exactly a Veela is, or the principles ruling them. Apparently, they have their hearts set on Jason marrying the daughter of a close friend of theirs. I don't think they are prepared to drop those plans anytime soon," Mercury warned. "I sent them some books on Veelas. All we can do is hope they read them."

"Doesn't matter if they don't. Jason is a member of the family now, and I will support him and Cecily. They will not be separated. I won't allow it," Lucius said fiercely. When had his life become such a mess? _The day your own father forced you to take the Dark Mark_, the back of his mind happily supplied.

Ignoring that little voice, Lucius focused on what needed to be done next. "I hate to ask this of you, but could you visit Nicholas and tell him everything we have learned? It isn't exactly something that should be done via owl-post. We also need to make sure he isn't freaked out over the possibility of him inheriting the Veela Blood too. While you're at it, ask him if he wants to continue at Beauxbatons or if he wants to transfer to another school."

Mercury lifted an eyebrow in surprise. "I thought that would be something you'd want to do yourself, Luce. I know how seriously you take the duties as Lord Malfoy."

"Normally, I would already be in France, talking to my nephew, but things are… complicated."

"When are they not where you are concerned?" Mercury smirked.

Lucius nodded his head, acknowledging the truth of those words. Leaning back in his chair, he let out a sigh. So much had happened in such little time. His head was spinning and he had no idea when he would be able to catch his breath again. "We, that is, Harry, has found a way to remove the Dark Mark," Lucius said softly, staring up at the ceiling.

That caught Mercury's attention. "He has?" he almost whispered, afraid this was some really weird yet vivid dream.

Lucius gaze turned to his cousin's and he smiled a small, genuine smile. "Yes, he has. The preparations will take a week, but come Saturday, Salazar Slytherin willing, both Severus and I will be free. That is why I am forced to place this burden on you, Merc. We can't -- no, that is not right -- we don't dare postpone this. Harry suspects the Dark Lord knows that Severus isn't exactly loyal. I can't lose him, Mercury, not now when we are so close to finally being free."

"I understand, Luce, and I don't mind carrying the burden this time. Cecily and Jason are both recovering nicely. Caroline and Orville are thrilled that they had a part in bringing them back together. They are young; they will soon have recovered from this, all of them. Concentrate on your own happiness now that it is within your grasp, and pay special attention on that hunk of a mate of yours. If anyone deserves to be happy, it is you, cousin.

"As for Narcissa… I have had your darling wife under close surveillance for years now by a few people I trust to be discreet. It is amazing what foolhardy things a person will do, once they are sure of their position. Sweet Narcissa has been doing a lot of things -- and people -- she shouldn't have. That woman is truly promiscuous. I doubt she knows what the word faithful means. How your father could saddle you with her, I will never understand," Mercury said, sadly shaking his head. That was a question he had asked himself a lot over the years. Determined, he pushed his gloomy thoughts to the side. This was not the time for that.

"When do you want for the divorce to be official? I take it you don't want it to be filed before Saturday -- there is no point in risking someone finding out and trying to prevent it from going through. How does Monday sound? There is no sense in waiting, since your marriage contract will be null and void the moment you and Severus bond, automatically removing Narcissa from the Malfoy family tree, and cancelling all the privileges she's been entitled to as Mrs. Malfoy."

Lucius threw his head back and laughed. "I pay you far less than you deserve, Merc. Thank you. Thank you for looking out for me. You are a true friend."

"No, I'm more than that. I'm family," Mercury said, growing serious.

Lucius nodded in acknowledgement. "Yes, you are. The best kind of family."

The two men shared a look.

"Thank you, Merc, that means a lot to me," Lucius said with a warm smile and a look of gratitude in his eyes.

Mercury waved the thanks aside. "So, I take it that you want Narcissa kicked out of your life. When do you want me to...?"

Lucius began to snigger. "Thanks to Harry and to the Dark Lord, she has already been kicked out of my life."

Mercury felt his eyebrows climb, and he gave his cousin a concerned look. "Luce? Are you feeling all right? Do you need me to-"

"Don't worry, I haven't lost my mind. Not yet anyway. Would you believe me if I told you that Harry discovered the creator of Black Truth? And would you believe me if I told you it was created by a Black?" Lucius asked, leaning back in his chair to watch his cousin's reaction.

"We should have known," Mercury said, making a face. "The evidence was staring us right in the face all this time. Who else but a Black would name a potion Black Truth? I take it that Narcissa has already felt the first stirrings of retribution?"

"Oh, yes, she has. Tom agreed to send her and Bellatrix into seclusion until Christmas. I put them on that island outside the coast of Australia that great, great, great grandmother Beatrice Clagg brought with her to the family when she married Jean-Luc Malfoy."

"Lucius, she hates that island," Mercury pointed out reasonably, the effect being slightly spoilt by the twitching of his lips.

"You don't say? I had absolutely no idea," Lucius said with an air of innocent surprise.

The two cousins shared a look, and then they were hooting with laughter.

"I take it that is not the only punishment you have planned for that bitch," Mercury said once he could speak again.

"Of course not," Lucius scoffed. "But I figured I would leave the details to you. I'm sure that fertile mind of yours can come up with several lovely scenarios that will embarrass her the most, and make sure to reclaim all the assets she's scurried away over the years in the process."

"You can leave that to me, Luce. I promise to do my very worst by her. Give me some time, and I will find out what will hurt your not-so lovely sister in law as well."

"I knew I could count on you," Lucius said, inclining his head in acknowledgment of the other's capabilities. "That reminds me, do you think your wife would mind packing up the family and moving into the Manor for a while? I am rather safe at Hogwarts, and we both know you can take care of yourself, but both she and the children will be vulnerable. I would never forgive myself if my actions brought harm to them."

"Do you honestly believe things would go that far?" Mercury asked, looking dubious. "I'm just your solicitor, why would anyone bother to come after me or mine?"

"You are many things, Merc, but 'just' isn't one of them," Lucius snickered.

"Oh, be serious!" Mercury complained, "with Narcissa hidden away on the other side of the globe, there is no reason to fear her. Who else would go after me? The Dark Lord? I don't think so! Why should he?"

"Actually, there is a large risk the Dark Lord will come after you, Mercury. He will not be happy when Severus and I remove our Dark Marks. Especially since we are planning to free as many of his followers as possible. We both know that he tends to go after the family of the ones offending him, wanting to make an example of the 'traitor' to ensure that there will be no more rebellions within his ranks. I will be relatively safe at Hogwarts, but you…

"Added to that is the fact that you will have to be my face to the world for a while. I can't be as visible as I have been. I can no longer be present in person at the Ministry, therefore unable to curb some of Fudge and his minions more idiotic… notions. You will also have to take over the business side of the Malfoy family even more, not to mention taking the lead of the new business ventures I am about to launch." Lucius chuckled slightly as he imagined the face of his cousin when he found out just exactly what Lucius wanted him to do.

He quickly grew serious though as he continued with his arguments. "We both know that Narcissa has several powerful friends that will soon miss her. At least, they are going to miss the money and other gifts she is forever bestowing upon them. Who knows how far they are prepared to go to find out where she is? Then there are the Donovans. True, I don't think they are much of a threat, but we have no idea how well connected they are. Added to that are the Parkinsons. Pansy has managed to anger both Harry and Draco, and as you know, they retaliated accordingly. Now, I'm not worried about the girl, but her mother could cause some problems. She is, after all, related to the Prewetts, and that family is nothing but trouble.

"Now, as I said, you and I are rather well protected, but your wife and the children are not. My only other suggestion is for you to move to the Cottage, but considering what happened there, I don't think the children would want to…" Lucius trailed off, knowing that he didn't have to spell things out. Mercury was far too intelligent for that, and as a Veela, he was _very_ protective of his family.

"I will talk to Suzette the first chance I get. I know that she won't be happy leaving our home, but I think she will be content to stay at the Manor for a while, especially if Narcissa won't be there."

The two men shared a grin. Suzette was about as fond of the woman as Mercury was.

"Thank you. I appreciate your sacrifice-"

"Some sacrifice," Mercury scoffed, not about to allow his cousin to get maudlin.

Lucius smiled ruefully, and decided to change the subject.

"I'm sure you are eager to be on your way, but there are a few things I need you to do, and since I have no idea when I will get away again, and this is too delicate to handle by owl, I would like to take this opportunity to get you up to date."

"Certainly," Mercury said, picking up a quill and dipping it into the inkwell, ready to take down notes. "What do you want me to do this time?"

Lucius leaned back in his chair, he wanted to make sure he had a clear look of his cousin's face. He so did not want to miss this.

"Merc, I need your help to open up a sweetshop."

HPDM

Harry and Draco were among the last to leave the classroom once McGonagall had dismissed them, not in a particular hurry to go anywhere. Ambling down the corridor, Harry glanced at the blond walking beside him and he reached out and took hold of the Veela's hand, giving it a slight squeeze. He still couldn't believe how easily and readily Draco had accepted whom and what he was. He had been so sure he would be met with scorn and rejection, perhaps even ridicule. He had not expected the three Slytherins to open their arms and welcome him, no questions asked.

Ron and Hermione would not have accepted him being an Elf that easily. Ron would have shouted at him, waving his arm about, and would probably have accused him of doing it on purpose to become even more famous than he already was. Hermione would have made it her mission to find out all she could about Elves, probably subjecting him to all kinds of tests to find out just what exactly he could and couldn't do. And Dumbledore… Harry shuddered at the thought of what the old coot would do to him if he knew. Hell, what he'd do if he even suspected the truth.

Draco, on the other hand… Harry looked over at the blond boy once more. Draco had done none of that. All he had done was hug Harry close and tell him he was loved. Cherished. Draco couldn't care less about what Harry could or couldn't do. All he wanted was to be near Harry and love him. And the school thought that Harry would turn his back on that and happily experiment with the student population? Harry snorted derisively. Yeah, right, as if that would ever happen!

Draco heard Harry's snort and opened his mouth to ask him about it. Before he could, a sultry voice came from behind them, stopping both boys in their tracks.

"Hiya, Harry. That blood-red leather really suits you, and the black in your shirt _really_ brings out the colour of your eyes."

Harry turned around, pulling Draco around with him, to look at the girl who had addressed him. Sighing deeply, Harry hung his head, squeezing his eyes shut. It was too much to hope that the students would have taken Draco's threat to heart. Still, a boy could hope, couldn't he?

Looking back up at the scantily dressed Susan Bones, Harry opened his mouth, not sure what to say but determined to make his disinterest quite clear to the girl. However, before he could, Susan moved closer and Harry got a nose full of a cloying, sweet smell that caused him to sneeze three times in a row, and caused his eyes to tear up.

"That's it! I have had had it!" Draco growled, pulling out a pristine white handkerchief, handing it to Harry, who gratefully accepted it. Next, he drew his wand and advanced on the girl who had dared to try and poach on his territory. Muttering harshly, there was a flash, a startled squeak, and then Susan was gone.

"Draco Malfoy! What did you do?" came the angry cry of Hermione Granger. The girl was pushing people out of the way and looked remarkably like a female warrior on a warpath.

Draco sneered. "Exactly what I promised everyone this morning that I would do. I sent that… that… _gold-digger_ into the lake."

"You can't go around and dump people into the lake!" Hermione scoffed angrily. "Fifty points from Slytherin. I will report you to Professor Dumbledore and he will deal with you, mark my words!"

Harry, who finally had his running nose and eyes under control, emerged from the handkerchief, prepared to protect his Veela. "Draco was well within his rights to take action. That he hadn't done so sooner is only the proof of his incredible self restraint," Harry said calmly, noting for the first time that Hermione's hair was still transfigured into a horse's tail. Normally you didn't notice it much, but today it was swishing from side to side in a very agitated manner, as if Hermione was longing to swat Draco away as if he was an annoying fly or something.

"Self restraint, _him_? Yeah, right!" Hermione said, giving Draco a dark look.

Fighting to keep his face straight, Harry said mildly, "Yes, him. I have found Draco Malfoy to be extremely levelheaded."

Draco shot Harry an incredulous look, only to look away just as quickly, biting his lip. Harry had no doubt he would be paying for that little comment later on, in private.

Hermione huffed, pulling the two boys' attention back on her. "In your dreams, Potter. Still, it doesn't give him right to send a student into the lake!"

"Actually, it does," Harry said smoothly, cutting through the building tension. "If you had bothered to read _Hogwarts: A History_, you would have know that the rules clearly state that a Veela is allowed to punish those they consider a threat to their mate within reason. Draco gave everyone ample warning this morning; he is hardly to blame that they chose not to listen to that warning."

Hermione spluttered, angrier than she had ever been in her life at the slur about her reading habits. "I will be watching you two; one of these days you will step over the line. When that day comes, I will be there, and I will make sure that you both get _all_ that you deserve," she hissed, glaring daggers at the two boys.

"Eighty points from Gryffindor," Draco said calmly.

"What?" Hermione cried in outrage.

"You heard me," Draco said, doing nothing to hide his smug smile. "If you had bothered to read the Prefect handbook, you would know that threatening a Prefect is a no-no which will cost you forty points. If you are stupid enough to do it again, the offended Prefect's Head of House will be contacted, and a more sinister punishment will be devised."

"You took eighty points!" Hermione complained, not prepared to back down an inch.

"Naturally, you threatened two Prefects. Forty times two is eighty. Don't tell me you can't count either, Granger," Draco said, relishing in taking the bothersome Gryffindor down a couple of pegs.

"Two?" Hermione echoed, giving Harry a once over and spotting the Prefect's Badge he wore for the first time. At first, she looked shocked, then her face morphed into an ugly sneer. "I see that you finally got what you coveted, Harry. I knew you were jealous of Ron when he got the badge last year instead of you, but this is low, even for you. Or was it your idea, Malfoy? Needed a token to keep your catamite happy?"

Harry gasped in outrage and pain, not believing what he was hearing. Draco, on the other hand, was growling furiously. Brandishing his wand, he stepped forward, murder and mayhem shining in his glowing eyes.

Hermione actually stepped back, belatedly pulling out her own wand, realising that maybe she had gone a tiny bit too far. She wasn't about to apologise though. Not to the likes of Draco Malfoy!

Draco's pulled his lips up into a snarl, then he paused as an idea popped into his mind. Smirking viciously, he almost lazily moved his wand in a complex pattern, uttering a string of Latin. Releasing the spell, he watched with pleasure as Granger was hit in the middle of her chest by the pale blue light which emitted from his wand. At first, nothing happened, and then she slowly changed into a small donkey.

"If you are going to bray nothings, then why not look the part?" Draco stated with a drawl, sending a thankful thought to Mercury for teaching him that little nifty spell. "Come on, Harry, I for one have no desire to yak with that ass any longer," he added, grasping Harry's hand and pulling him along down the corridor, leaving behind an audience that was half flabbergasted and half snickering.

Never letting go of his still shaking mate, Draco used every shortcut he knew, wanting nothing more than to get back to their rooms as swiftly as possible.

* * *

**A/N:** Do you wish to have the good news or the bad news first? 

The good news is that in next chapter comes the kissing everyone has been waiting for. (And yes, it is a real kiss, with tongue and everything.)

The bad news is that I won't update next Monday since RL is rearing its ugly head. I'm sorry everyone but you will have to wait an additional week this time.

Until then…


	48. Dream A Little Dream

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Harry Potter or any of his friends or enemies. I'm not making any money, this is meant just for fun.

**_Important A/N_**: I promised myself that when 1000 people had signed up for Alerts I would post a story to celebrate. That number has been reached! As of today, I now have 1002 people on my Alert list, and as I promised myself, the story has been posted; you can find it at my Bio page. It is called _Love Fever._ It is a Harry/Draco story, and it is pure fluff. I hope you will read and enjoy it.

Thank you Vaughn for helping with the grammar.

* * *

**Dream A Little Dream**

It was with a sigh of relief that Draco heard the door fall close behind them. Dropping his bag, he turned around and faced Harry. Moving closer, he tugged gently on the hand holding the book bag, smiling in satisfaction when it fell to the floor. Ignoring the fact that Harry seemed totally unresponsive, Draco pulled him into his arms, doing his best to comfort him in this latest blow.

"I can't believe she said that," Harry eventually whispered, slowly coming back to where his mind had retreated. "I knew she was angry with me, that she didn't approve of my choices, but to… How could she, Draco? What happened to turn her so… spiteful? So nasty? Was it…?"

"No!" Draco protested harshly. "No! Don't you dare to try and take the blame for this! Nothing you have done, _nothing_, explains why Granger is behaving the way she is. That proves to me that the problem is all with her. Not with you. Never with you, love. Never."

"I wish I could believe you, Draco, but-"

"There is no buts! Oh, Harry, how can I show you that you are the most kindhearted, the most _good_ person I have ever known? You are always trying to help others, caring more for their welfare than your own. Please, let me take care of you now. Let me show you that you are worthy of love, of care. Forget about Granger. Forget about Weasley. Neither of them are worthy of being your friend. All they care about are themselves. I'm sorry, but they are two of the most selfish prats I have ever come across," Draco said almost desperately, willing his mate to believe him.

Harry sighed and pressed his aching forehead against a handy shoulder. "I want to believe you," he admitted quietly. "I want to believe, even if it hurts, that they never were my friends. It is hard, though, to turn your back on five years of friendship. Yeah, I know, they never were true friends, but for a long time I actually believed they were. Merlin, I'm tired," Harry sighed, sagging slightly against the blond boy.

Draco immediately turned his focus on his mate, pushing away his thoughts of revenge, putting them on a backburner. The revenge would wait; the only thing that mattered now was caring for his hurting Elf.

"You are tired, aren't you?" Draco asked with sympathy. "Come, let us go and lie down for awhile. It is utterly clichéd, but things will look better once you've gotten some sleep," he added, tugging gently on Harry's hands, encouraging him to move away from the door.

Harry snorted softly at the words, but he didn't resist the gentle urging, and allowed Draco to walk them both to the Veela's bedroom.

Coming to a halt by the large bed, Draco quickly undressed his mate, until he was standing only in his underwear. If it wasn't for the bruised look in Harry's eyes, he would have been tempted to ogle, perhaps even steal a grope of the fine body presented before him. However, the pain radiating from the brunet effectively put a lid on the blond's libido, and he merely pulled the covers back, encouraging Harry to curl into the bed, tucking him in after he had come to rest in the middle of the bed.

"Stay with me?" Harry asked softly, looking up at the one person who was slowly becoming his entire world.

"Gladly," Draco replied with a gentle smile. Swiftly and efficiently, he stripped down to his own underwear, crawled into the bed, curled up next to Harry, and pulled the teen into his arms until he rested comfortably against Draco's chest.

For a long moment they lay contentedly next to each other, revelling in each other's company.

"Could you drop the glamour?" Draco murmured, feeling ridiculously pleased when Harry hummed softly and did just that. Petting Harry's heavy mass of hair was quickly becoming one of Draco's favourite pastimes. From the way the brunet was all but purring, it didn't seem that Harry was objecting to his new hobby much.

It didn't take long before Draco drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Harry wasn't as fortunate. Thoughts kept flooding his mind. Snatches of conversations kept popping up, reminding him of different events from the past five years. Ron and Hermione were prominent in his miniature flashbacks, and Harry couldn't help but examine the snippets for signs of their true intent. Needless to say, it did not aid him in getting some rest.

HPDM

Harry had no idea how long he had been dosing when he suddenly became aware of a new presence. Tensing, Harry lifted his head, unconsciously calling his magic to him, prepared to defend Draco if needed. Feeling his mate's agitation, the blond shifted in his sleep, pulling Harry closer to him in an attempt to comfort him.

"All is well, I just came to see why you weren't in the Great Hall for lunch." The soothing voice of Severus Snape washed over the boys, and Harry relaxed back into Draco, allowing his magic to dispissitate.

"Sorry 'bout that. I was going to send word to you, but, well…" Harry trailed off, feeling his face grow hot with embarrassment.

"No need to apologise, child," Severus murmured, walking deeper into the bedroom, stepping up to the bed, and carefully settling on the edge of the mattress, mindful not to jostle it or its occupants too much. "How are you doing?" he asked, looking intently at Harry. It did not escape him that the glamour had failed once more. Or had Draco asked the Elf to drop it?

Harry's face grew hotter. "I take it you've heard what happened earlier?" he sighed, not able to look Severus in the face.

"Oh, yes. I believe half the school has heard by now. Miss Bones was not happy having her clothes, hair, and makeup ruined by her unexpected bath, and was complaining rather shrilly to both Madam Pomfrey and Madam Sprout, last I heard.

"Miss Granger was just as displeased about her own predicament, and was also complaining rather loudly about her unfortunate fate. Seeing as she does not have a human voice, Pomfrey was forced to cast a Silencing Charm on her to avoid having _every_ mirror in the infirmary cracked. Filius was called in to check her over and see what he could do to revert her back to her human form. The current verdict is that she will have to wait for the charm to wear off, since no one at Hogwarts is able to counter it."

Harry looked up, lifting an eyebrow in surprise.

Severus coughed to hide a laugh. "It looks like the spell Draco used to turn Miss Granger into a donkey interacted with the spell already placed on her hair to turn it into a horse's tail. The two somehow morphed into one spell, changing them into something else, and since Salazar Slytherin and Hogwarts were behind one of the spells, it will take someone extremely powerful wizard, or several less powerful wizards working together, to break it. Since such teamwork is very difficult, not to mention often dangerous, Albus has decided to wait for now, hoping that the spell will run its course and disperse by itself fairly soon."

Harry tried to feel sorry for her, he truly did, but every time he tried, the hurtful words she'd thrown in his face came to the forefront of his mind, squashing any sympathy for her predicament. "I take it Hermione didn't take that news very well. What will happen to her? She can't go to classes and stuff, can she?"

Severus sniggered. "No, she didn't take the news well at all. When Dumbledore informed her that she would go and live with Hagrid until she was restored to her human form, she threw a tantrum, braying repeatedly, and kicking everyone and everything within reach. Fortunately, the silencing spell held or we would have been bleeding from the ears from the ruckus. That girl has a shrill voice when human. It did not improve when she was turned into a donkey! By the time Hagrid had managed to corner her and pick her up, ending up having to bodily carry her out of the hospital wing, the infirmary was in shambles. Poppy was almost in tears when she went to restore some order to her domain. I have a feeling it will be a _very_ long time before she forgives Granger for destroying just about everything in sight."

Harry sniggered, hiding his face in Draco's chest. He knew he should feel sorry for her, but he couldn't. He just couldn't. And boy, did he wish he had been present in the hospital wing to see this spectacle!

Severus took heart hearing the snigger, having heard about the confrontation from several of his snakes. The idiocy of that girl never ceased to amaze him. "How are you holding up?"

Harry shrugged, looking down, not able to look at the other man.

"Harry?" Severus insisted, putting a finger under the brunet's chin, forcing him to look up at him.

Harry sighed, but knew that the Potions Master wouldn't give up until he had his answer. "I am fine, sort of. What Hermione said, it hurt. A lot. Still, I'm getting used to getting verbally abused every time she and Weasley are around. I just don't understand what I did wrong. I feel exhausted, yet my mind won't calm down to allow me to sleep. I keep going over stuff, things we did, trying to see how far back the lies go.

"I know that they aren't my friends. I know they don't approve of me. Still, they were my first friends ever. It is difficult to just turn my back on that. On the memories of the good times we've had. The adventures that we shared," Harry admitted, not liking to feel vulnerable before Snape, but figuring that if anyone could understand betrayal, it was this man.

Severus pinched his lower lip in thought while looking at the teen searchingly. It hadn't escaped him that Potter looked like he hadn't slept in a week, and he was a bit surprised that Draco had managed to drop off, in spite of the obviously agitated state of his mate. This proved that all was not well with the Veela either.

Coming to a decision, he pulled a bottle from one of his pockets and held it out towards Harry. "Here, take a mouthful of this. It is Dreamless Sleep, and it should aid you in relaxing enough to actually fall asleep, no matter how much your brain and emotions are churning.

Harry gratefully accepted the bottle and uncorked it. However, as he raised it to his lips, he suddenly remembered something and gave him a questioning glance.

Severus chuckled. "Don't worry, Harry. I have talked to both Helga and Salazar, and a sip should be perfectly safe, and will give you the rest you need," he promised, answering the silent question.

Harry nodded in acceptance, drinking down the prescribed dose. Putting his head back down on Draco's chest, it took only moments for him to be fast asleep.

Severus watched the two teens sleep for a moment, wanting to make sure that they were both safe and soundly asleep. He had figured that now that the Boy Who Lived was moving away from Albus' influence, his life would be less adventurous, and calmer. Apparently, Potter had not realised that yet, or the boy really was born under a cursed star. Sighing softly, he reached out and stroked the hair of the two boys before he reluctantly got to his feet and silently left the room. He wished he could stay until Lucius had returned. Unfortunately, he had classes to teach.

Taking one last look, Severus left the bedroom, plotting new ways to make Granger's life absolutely miserable once she was restored to her usual self. This time she had gone one step too far, and neither he nor the Malfoys would ever forgive her for the hurtful words she had thrown in Harry's face. To accuse the boy of being a catamite, a whore, it was inexcusable, and he would take great pleasure in making the little know-it-all see the errors of her ways. Great pleasure.

HPDM

Draco blinked in surprise when he suddenly found himself on his favourite bay stallion. A moment ago, he had been doing unspeakable and most delicious things to Harry in the Jacuzzi, and the next he was mounted on his horse. With no Harry in sight. Bummer!

Grumbling in displeasure, the blond considered what to do next. Always before, his Veela dreams had involved Harry and water. No other living creatures, just him and his mate. What was he supposed to do now? He could hardly wake himself up, not to mention that sitting in a saddle was most uncomfortable since his arousal had not disappeared when his mate did. He supposed he should be thankful that he was dressed in his riding gear, or he would _really_ be uncomfortable now.

The tossing of a head and the stamping of a hoof brought Draco out of his musings, and he bent forward a little to pet the proud neck. "Well, Kitsune, what do you suggest we do now?" he asked, not really expecting an answer. Nevertheless, the horse turned its head and gave him a pointed look. It was clear what he wanted to do, and with a laugh, Draco nudged him with his heels. Might as well make the best of the situation. With a whoop of joy, boy and horse took off, racing their own shadows as they followed the trail weaving in and out among the trees.

HPDM

Harry had no idea whatsoever how come he was suddenly walking in a strange forest, dressed in nothing but his leather trousers and boots, but for once he was going with the flow, not asking questions, not demanding answers. He was too busy enjoying the sun on his face, the wind playing with his hair, and the feeling of soft moss under his feet. With a whoop of joy he took off running.

He had no idea how long he had been running in the forest, revelling in the feeling of being out in nature when he came to an abrupt halt. Before him lay a meadow, and Harry was, for a moment, spellbound by all the different flowers and the butterflies fluttering between them. Moving carefully, he stepped away from the trees onto the grass, taking in the small bit of paradise he had stumbled upon. Hearing the laughing sound of a brook, Harry broke into a grin and ran for the small hill he could see in the distance.

By the time he had reached the top he was panting slightly, and Harry bent forward, putting his hands on his knees, fighting to regain his breath. It wasn't that the hill had been particularly steep, but it had been further away than he had figured.

Straightening, Harry took in the lovely sight before him. With a laugh, he threw his arms wide and danced round and round until he was too dizzy to stand, and he collapsed with a giggle, laying on his back on the grass while he waited for the world to stop spinning.

oOo

Draco was thoroughly enjoying his riding trip when he suddenly burst out of the forest. Seeing one of his favourite spots, he immediately knew where he was. This place belonged to the château in Austria, and no one hardly ever came here but Draco.

Wondering idly what had caused him to dream of this spot now, when he had never done so before, Draco rode into the meadow, keeping Kitsune to a walk. Then a laugh rang out, causing Draco's heart to start beating faster. Whipping his head up, he looked around widely. Only one person had that sweet laughter, Harry!

It didn't take the Veela long to spot where his mate was, and Draco nudged his horse into a trot. It was fortunate that Kitsune was clever enough to avoid any pitfalls himself, since his master only had eyes for the enticing sight on top of the hill.

Coming to a halt, Draco shifted in the saddle, contemplating what to do next. Should he dismount and sneak up on his mate? Or should he just call out and see what happened next? To just go with the flow, so to speak? Before he had made up his mind, Kitsune took matters out of his hands by neighing loudly.

On top of the hill Harry's head and torso appeared, as the other boy sat up. Peering down, the youth broke into a big grin when he saw who it was that had interrupted his fun. "Draco!" Harry cried in delight, scrambling to his feet. "So you ended up here too, huh? Isn't this place marvellous? And where did you get that horse? He -- or is that she? -- is gorgeous!" the Elf said, making his way down the slope.

Draco chuckled. "Thank you, _he_ is a beauty, isn't he? His name is Kitsune, he is mine. I've had him since I was nine. As for where we are, this place belongs to my family. We are in Austria, actually."

Harry looked up at Draco, a mixture of happiness, envy, and sadness vying for dominance in his eyes. He was happy for the Veela to have such a treasure, but he couldn't help but be envious of the way he so casually said 'belongs to my family', and he was envious because he himself would never have that pride and knowledge in his own family history.

"Wanna come for a ride?" Draco asked, seeing the conflict and wanting to help chase the sadness away until only happiness remained. He couldn't help but wonder what he'd said to put that look in Harry's eyes, but figured now was not the time to ask.

Harry glanced up, his cheeks hot with the image that had suddenly popped into his mind. Placing a hand on the tip of Draco's boot, Harry asked, "Why don't you come down here? The view from the top is just marvellous, and I want to share that with you." Then he remembered and his face fell. "But I guess it is old news to you, huh?"

Draco shrugged and slid off the stallion's back. "Yeah, I've seen the view before. It is one of my favourite spots. But I have never seen it with you, and I would love to share the experience with you as well," he said with loving smile, holding out his hand in invitation.

Harry grasped it, his smile lighting up his entire face. Giving the hand he was holding a squeeze, he began to climb the hillside, all but dragging the other boy behind him. Then he was hit by a thought. "What about...?" he asked, jerking his head towards the horse, who was calmly grazing.

Draco glanced back to his ride as well, then he smiled and it was his turn to tug on Harry's hand. "Don't worry about him, he is used to waiting for me. He won't be going anywhere, trust me."

"I do, Draco. I do," Harry murmured, allowing himself to be dragged onto the top.

Finding his favourite spot, Draco sank down into the grass, pulling Harry down to sit beside him. Sighing happily, Harry snuggled into Draco's side. The blond slung an arm around his mate's shoulders, and was rewarded when Harry snuggled in even closer.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Harry asked, looking down at the brook meandering by at this side of the hill. The water was laughing merrily as it made its way downstream, on to its way to who knew where.

"Yes, it is," Draco agreed, not looking at the water but at the vision sitting next to him. Passion flashed through his blood, and remembering where things had left off, the Veela pulled his unresisting mate into an embrace and a searing kiss.

Harry started in surprise, not expecting such a bold move from the normally restrained youth. And feeling the passion and the fire in the kiss, Harry suddenly realised just how much Draco had been holding himself back in order not to scare him off. But what had changed? What made the blond boy think that now was a good time to move things forward? Trying to understand, Harry's mind was too busy to fully take part in the sinfully good kiss.

Draco, growing frustrated when Harry didn't participate in the kiss, sucked his mate's lower lip into his mouth and bit down. As he had expected, Harry gasped, parting those luscious lips of his, and Draco eagerly dived inside.

Stroking his tongue against Harry's, Draco pressed forward until the brunet was laying on his back on the grass. Settling on top of his mate, the Veela moaned as the taste of Harry's mouth exploded on his tongue, causing him to shudder and grow painfully hard in an instant. Too impatient to wait until their clothes were off, Draco began to grind his pelvis into the one beneath him, moaning in delight at the pressure against his aching cock.

To say that Harry had been surprised when Draco kissed him was putting it mildly. When the blond had pushed him onto his back, he had been astonished, but when Draco began rubbing against him, he had only felt fear. Then he got angry. Planting his hands on Draco's shoulders, Harry had pushed, using every ounce of strength he possessed.

Draco, for his part, was lost in the sensations of his mate. Never before had any of his dreams been this vivid. Never before had he been able to indulge in smell or taste, and it was driving him crazy. He was so lost in his frenzy that he never noticed Harry freezing in fear, but he did feel the hands pushing him away. Moaning in disappointment, Draco strived to get closer.

"Draco Malfoy! You will get off me this instant, or so help me, it will be you and not Weasley who will be pranked along with Pansy Parkinson!" Harry spat, doing his best to shove Draco aside.

That brought the Veela up short. Never before had his dream Harrys ever spoken of real life events. Peering down into stormy green eyes, Draco reluctantly sat up, ending up sitting on Harry's thighs.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Harry all but screamed at him, wondering if the dream was about to turn into a nightmare.

"Harry? Is that you?" Draco asked with a gulp. The Elf looked like he was ready to murder him. Not that Draco could really blame him, but how in Salazar's name was he supposed to know that this was real and not another of his Veela dreams?

"Of course it is me, you bloody git! Who else would it be? Who did you _want_ it to be?" Harry asked, growing suspicious and sending the other boy a death glare Severus would have been proud of.

"Ho boy!" Draco moaned, falling sideways onto the ground. "This is not good, not good at all!" he groaned, slamming a fisted hand into the grass.

"You just stole my line," Harry said with a huff, sitting up properly, wrapping his arms around his knees in hopes of warding off another attack of the Veela monster. "Want to explain to me just what the hell that was all about?" Harry added in a somewhat calmer tone, mollified by the real look of distress on Draco's face.

Sighing deeply, praying that he would be able to explain all this to Harry -- although in truth he didn't know all the details himself yet -- and ensure that the other boy didn't pull away from him because of his lapse of control.

Running a hand through his hair, Draco glanced over at Harry before sitting back up and pulling up a straw of grass, which he proceeded to tear into tiny pieces. "When you read up on Veelas, did you come a cross anything about Veela dreams?" he asked tentatively.

Harry furrowed his brow in thought. "One of the books mentioned something about them, yes. But... it didn't go into deeper what it was. Only that it helped the Veela stay sane while he waited for his mate," Harry said slowly, as he tried to remember what the book had said. Truthfully, he had mostly skipped that part, not deeming it as something important, especially considering that that was about all that had been said about it.

"Yeah, well, it is one of those things the Veela community keeps quiet about. It is regarded as something very personal, and not something that is widely talked about, especially not to those not Veela themselves," Draco said, trying to figure out how to phrase this delicately.

"When a Veela finds their Mate, they are driven to claim them as soon as possible, since they live in fear that their mate will either deny them or be taken from them."

Harry nodded his head to show that he was listening, and to indicate that he already knew this bit. But seeing the look on Draco's face, he did not try and hurry him up, as had been his first reaction when the other boy started speaking.

"In the beginning, it wasn't uncommon for the Veela to... well, to rape their mate," Draco admitted, glancing at Harry with an apologetic look. "However, the bonds formed during those circumstances never became very strong, which is completely understandable. Therefore, the Elders gathered together and they came up with a plan. They created a charm that was cast on every Veela who had met their mate, but where they were unable to bond right away. This mostly was done to those mated with a non-Veela.

"The charm gave the Veela the ability to enter a... dream world, I suppose you could call it, where the Veela could be with their mate and... well..."

Harry watched in fascination as Draco's face turned a flaming red. It was red enough to rival Ron when he was his most enraged. It didn't take a genius though to guess what Draco was hinting at. "They have sex, don't they? Probably hot, wild sex at that, hmm? Did Lucius cast this charm on you? Did you think this was one of your dreams?" Harry asked, calming down completely now that he understood what was going on.

Draco glanced over at Harry, amazed that he no longer was angry with him. "You forgive me?" he asked with a squawk.

"Of course I do. This wasn't your fault," Harry said with a reassuring smile. Reaching out, he grasped one of the hands holding the now much maligned grass straw, giving the hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Thank you, Merlin!" Draco said with feeling, pulling Harry into a bone-crushing hug.

Harry chuckled and allowed the hug, feeling that Draco needed to reassure himself that everything was fine between them.

Eventually, he poked a finger in Draco's ribs, reminding him, "You never answered my questions, you know."

"What questions?" Draco asked, having become lost in his mate's scent again. A second, stern poke of a stiff finger brought him back to earth. "Oh, those questions. Um, let's see, no, Father never cast that charm on me. With time, somehow, it became part of the Veela makeup. And yes, I've had dreams about us, about you and me having, how was it you put it? Hot, wild sex. And yes, I thought this was one of my dreams. Though they usually contain you and me and water," Draco allowed with another blush.

Harry looked intrigued for a moment, but then he shook his head. Nope, he was not about to go there. Not now, perhaps later, when they knew each other better, he would ask Draco about those dreams. "We have never made love in the grass under the sun then?" Harry asked, not sure why he asked.

"No. Strictly speaking, I don't suppose I have ever made love to you," Draco mused, thinking back on his dreams. "It was mostly about hot, wet, wild sex. I'm sorry."

"Hey!" Harry admonished, pulling gently on a blond lock. "This is about you, what you needed to stay sane. I'm not going to blame you for what you are dreaming, for Salazar's sake! Though I might one day ask you to reinact your favourites," he added quietly, blushing hotly and unable to look Draco in the face.

Draco sighed in relief, pulling Harry into a warm embrace. "I'd like that." Then he chuckled, "And I think you will too."

Harry laughed at the leer and the exaggerated winking Draco was subjecting him to. "So you have no idea how we ended up here together, huh? Not that I'm complaining or anything. The thing is, the last thing that happened before I feel asleep was Severus giving me some Dreamless Sleep. You aren't suppose to dream when drinking that stuff, so I wonder how come I am?"

"Severus gave you Dreamless Sleep? Why? Did something happen?" Draco asked, getting worried, checking his mate over for injuries.

Harry batted the hands away. "I'm fine, Draco. I just had trouble relaxing, what with everything that had happened."

Draco sighed with relief, and shifted around until he sat next to Harry. As he wrapped around the brunet's shoulders, the two of them looked out over the meadow in peaceful silence.

Harry accepted the embrace, snuggling into Draco's side, and began to mull about the things he had been told. Thinking back on the kiss, he had to work hard not to squirm. Now that he was no longer surprised, scared, or ticked off at the blond, Harry could admit to himself that he had rather liked the kiss. Glancing over at the Veela, Harry wondered if he would mind much if they did it again, only slower this time.

Feeling his mate's gaze, Draco looked over at Harry, taken back at the calculating look in the green eyes. "I can hear the wheels turning, what are you contemplating, love?" Draco asked with a teasing grin.

Caught, Harry swiftly looked back down at the brook. "Oh, nothing much," he hedged. "I was just wondering if you... that is would you...?"

Draco lifted an eyebrow, trying to figure out what Harry was talking about. "Would I what?"

Harry blushed and ducked his head. "Wouldyoulikedoingthatagain?" he got out in one breath.

Draco valiantly struggled to decipher Harry's rushed words. Then his eyes lit up with delight as he realised just what his mate had asked. "Would you like me to kiss you again?" he asked huskily, praying with everything he got that Harry would say yes. That he hadn't misunderstood him.

Unable to look at the blond youth, Harry nodded his head sharply once.

"Oh, I would love to," Draco said with a deep purr. Placing his fingers under Harry's jaw, Draco gently urged the other boy to look up him. Looking deeply into Harry's eyes for as long as he was able, Draco was pleased to see Harry's lips parting in anticipation. Gently he pressed their lips together, savouring their softness. Slowly he pulled back, waiting for Harry's eye to open again.

Green eyes blinked open and Draco was happy to see contentment and shy happiness in their depths. There was no hint of either fear of anger.

"Wow," Harry whispered, a smile coming to his lips. "That was... wow."

Draco chuckled and ran the back of his fingers along Harry's cheekbone. Keeping the caress going, he moved his fingers into Harry's dark, lustrous hair, mentally kicking himself for not realising sooner that something was amiss. Never before in his dreams had Harry presented himself to him in full Elf mode.

Pushing such thoughts to the back of his minds to be dealt with later, Draco cupped the back of Harry's head and angled his head slightly to the side. Moving in, he claimed a second kiss, this time moving the tip of his tongue along Harry's lower lip. Moaning at the taste, Draco held out as long as he could -- this was all for Harry, after all -- but in the end he just had to suck that lip into his mouth to suckle on. This time it was Harry that moaned, and he pressed closer, wrapping his arms around Draco's neck in a surprisingly strong grip.

In the end they had to pull apart, no matter how much Draco hated to, but he was not about to pass out due to lack of oxygen, and he wouldn't allow that to happen to Harry either.

Harry made a sound of protest, but he didn't fight the separation. By the way he too was gulping for air, Draco figured his mate had discovered the importance of breathing as well.

"Wow! If I had known this would happen, I would have gulped down galleons of that stuff from day one," Harry panted, eyeing Draco's lips the way a man dying of thirst would eye a glass of water.

Draco found that he did not mind that look at all. Putting on his best leer, he leaned forward and whispered, "Are you trying to tell me that I am a good kisser, Mr. Potter?"

Harry made a face of repulsion and jerked away from the Veela. "Urgh, you sounded just like Snape!"

"I... what?" Draco asked in outrage.

"The way Severus used to sound in Potions class, just before he tore a strip off my hide because of some exceptionally stupid mishap of mine," Harry explained, still not looking happy. "Please refrain from doing that again, especially when we are kissing. I so do not need an image of him in my head then."

"You better not be thinking about Severus -- or anyone else, for that matter! -- while I am kissing you!" Draco snarled, his possessive side rearing its head. Harry was _his_ mate, damn it! He had no business thinking of others, especially not when they were snogging!

"Then don't sound like him, you prat!" Harry shot back, glaring hotly at Draco.

For several seconds the two were glowering darkly at each other. Then Draco's mouth twitched, causing Harry to giggle, and soon the two of them were laughing like loons.

Panting for breath, collapsing weakly onto the grass, Draco gasped, "I think you better leave this part out of the explanation when you tell Severus what happened. I don't think either him or Father would take it very well."

Harry snorted. "What makes you think I will be telling either of them _anything_ of what has happened here?"

Draco pulled himself up onto an elbow, looking down at the beautiful face of his mate. "Because Severus at least will need to know that you did, in fact, dream after swallowing that potion. And, knowing my godfather, he will want as detailed a description as possible in an attempt to figure out what went wrong."

Harry made a face, knowing that Draco was telling the truth. "Well, how about making something else to tell him about?" Harry asked suggestively, looking up at Draco from under his eyelashes.

Laughing, the blond was only too happy to comply. Leaning over Harry, allowing his hair to fall down and form a curtain around them, Draco slowly bent down and pressed his lips against his mate's. Once again the taste that was so uniquely Harry exploded on his tongue, and Draco moaned, eagerly pressing closer while trying to figure out just what Harry tasted like.

Slim yet strong arms came up and wrapped around his neck, pulling him impossibly close to the figure beneath him, and Draco could only approve. Supporting himself on one arm, Draco reached up and gently stroked Harry's hair, causing the Elf to purr in appreciation.

It was with difficulty that he managed to stay away from those alluring ears, but since he wasn't sure what Harry's reactions would be, and since he knew that his control was shaky as it was, Draco instead allowed his fingers to explore Harry's face and throat.

Running his fingers lower, Draco fully realised for the first time that Harry wasn't wearing a shirt, and he pulled back slightly to take a moment and appreciate the sculptured torso of his mate. Salazar, but Harry was gorgeous!

"Draco?" Harry asked, panting, not sure why the other boy had pulled away.

"Shh, Harry, I just want to take a look at you. You are beautiful, do you know that?" Draco asked, dragging his eyes back up to look into Harry's eyes.

Harry promptly blushed and looked away. "I've told you, Draco, you are the beautiful one, not me."

"I don't agree with you, but let's not waste anymore time arguing. Just so you know, I do find you beautiful, and gorgeous, and alluring, and-"

Harry shut the Veela up the only way he knew how, by reaching up and capturing those lips that were doing far too much talking. Boldly, Harry pushed the tip of his tongue against Draco's lips, and he eagerly slipped his tongue inside when the blond opened up to him. Taking his time, not wanting to rush this -- and not wanting to give Draco a chance to start sprouting off about him being beautiful again -- Harry leisurely mapped out the other boy's mouth, sighing when Draco's tongue came to greet his.

Draco, in the meantime, was keeping himself busy with running his hand up and down Harry's side, eliciting a giggle when he accidentally tickled him while caressing the Elf's ribcage. Finally, he couldn't hold back any longer, and shifting slightly to the side, Draco run his thumb over Harry's nipple.

The reaction was instant. Harry tore his mouth away from Draco's, threw his head back while arching his back up and into the caress, while groaning in appreciation. "Merlin, Draco!" was all he could say once he had his voice back, looking up at the Veela with wide, astonished eyes.

Draco chuckled and leaned down to blow gently on the nipple he had teased. "Just wait, it only gets better," he promised, before latching onto the nub with his mouth.

"Better? Oh, Merlin, Draco!" Harry shouted, arching into the sinfully good mouth, becoming lost in a haze of lust. _Never_ had he felt anything like this. _Never_ in his wildest dreams had he even imagined that he _could_ feel anything like this. Draco's mouth, tongue, teeth, and hands were driving him mad, and all he could do was feel and moan endlessly. Embarrassingly soon an orgasm was wrung from him, causing him to collapse back onto the grass, dead to the world.

Draco lifted his head from where he had been creating a large love bite on Harry's neck. He wanted to see if it would still be there in the real world. If it did, it would show as a temporary mark of claim until Draco could give Harry the real thing.

Looking down at his Elf, Draco could only marvel at the experience they had just shared. He had not found release, and his cock was still hot and throbbing, but it didn't matter. This had all been about Harry, and Draco's desire to pleasure his mate. And to make up for the fright he had accidentally given him earlier. Added to that was the fact that his mind was spinning with the intensity of the recent happenings. This by far had been the most erotic sexual experience of his life!

Reaching up, Draco pushed a strand of hair that had fallen across Harry's face back. Running the lock between his fingers, he couldn't help but marvel at how responsive Harry had been. The other boy had reacted to his every touch, to his every caress. Draco hadn't even needed to touch the Elf's cock before he came, the stimulation of his nipples had been powerful enough to cause him to climax.

Smiling smugly in the knowledge that Harry was his and only his, Draco lay down next to his mate and pulled him into a tight embrace. Something was telling him it was time to sleep, and he did nothing to fight the pull. Sighing with happiness, the Veela felt at peace with the world in a way he had never done before. He and Harry were going to have a wonderful life together, once all the current shit had been dealt with, he just knew they would.

* * *

**Next Time:**  
Harry is finally starting to make a dent in his pile of mail.  
(Sorry folks, the letter from Remus is still a few chapters away.)  
Until Then… 


	49. Mail Call

**Disclaimers:** I don't own Harry Potter, or any of his friends and enemies

**A/N:** _Arrrgh_! I can't _believe_ it! This morning when I was about to upload the new chapter, the computer crashed! And it isn't anything I can do on my own, but I have to send it away to get it fixed! And the computer is barely a year old!

The good news are, that I had a copy of the chapter on my old computer. The bad news are, that I lost my Betaed version of this chapter. So, the choice is yours. Do you read it now? If you do, be aware that it is atroucious, it isn't even properly spell checked since the thing doesn't work on my old computer -- one of the reasons we got a new one. Your other choice is to wait a few days until Vaughn has had a chance to re-send the fixed chapter to me. (When she does, I will immediately upload it, I promise.)

Knowing how many of you are eagerly awaiting an update, I just hated disappointing you by not uploading anything this Monday.

**A/N 2:** I have created a Forum -- see Bio for address -- where you are welcome to write me and talk about my stories. (See topic Rant to find out more about why.) I promise to do my best to answer your questions in a timely fashion.

* * *

_**Mail Call**_

Lucius returned to Hogwarts, pleased to find that no suits of armours where laying in wait for him. Walking down the hall, he was tempted to head down into the dungeons for a littel more quality time with Severus. Only the knowledge that the man was teaching, and wouldn't havetimefor him enabled the blond aristocrat to pass the entrence to the lower regions and move up towards his own rooms.

Walking past the portrait of Salazar Slytherin, Lucius was surprised to have the Founder hailing him. Stepping closer to the painting, the blond raised an eyebrow.

Salazar chuckled. "In all my time, I have neve encountered a Malfoy who could not speak volumes with a mere tilt of their eyebrows. I'm glad to see that your family hasn't lost that skill."

"I thank you," Lucius said regally, performing a small bow.

"I thought you would like to know that the boys are inside," Salazar said, making a small jerk with his head, indicating the rooms behind his portrait.

"Did something happen?" Lucius asked, getting concerned.

"Nothing serious. I understand there was an alternation between your son and the girl who behaved so rudely towards me the other day. Obviously, she hasn't learned her lesson since she was behaving in a most shocking way."

Lucius groaned. "Granger! What did she do this time?"

Slazar got a wicked look on his face. "I understand she took umbrage when young Draco sent one of the chits panting for his mate into the lake. Did her no good though. Ended up being turned into a donkey. Of course, Hogwarts decided to give the lad a helping hand, so the end result might have been somewhat different to what he had planned. Everything worked out fine though, and she is now residing in the stabels until the spell has worn off."

Torn between the urge to laugh and groan in despair, Lucius settled for hanging his head, shaking it wearily. And to think that he had hoped that once Draco found his mate, his more... childish tendensies would taper off. Seemed he instead had found a perfect match in Harry. Lucius shuddered to think what trouble the two would havock on unsuspecting people -- not to mention on him and Severus! -- once they had gotten comfortable together.

"Dragons and Parselmoth," Lucius sighed. "I might as well go and check on them."

Salazar nodded in understanding and swung open, allowing the blond to enter.

Manouvering around the stacks of books, Lucius made his way to Draco's bedroom after a quick peek had informed that Harry's room was empty. Climbing the few steps, he couldn't help but wonder what Hermione Granger's problem was. From what Draco had told him, the girl had always been levelheaded. A know-it-all who thought she knew best just because she had read half, if not more, of the Hogwart's library, but still, she had always been levelheaded. Or had that just been a front?

If she had done any research at all, then she should know what a Veela bonding was, and that it was almost futile to come between a Veela and his or her willing mate. True, the boys hadn't bonded yet, but they were comitted to each other, any fool could see that, even a blind one.

No, the girl must have an agenda of her own, one that did not include Draco Malfoy. But what could it be? Listing in his mind the things he knew of the witch, Lucius was scrunching up his face in thought as he tried to recall what that spew thing Draco had mentioned in third year was. Or had that been during their second year? It had something to do with the house-elves that much he remembered. Was the girl aspiring for a position in the Ministry? Was she hoping to use Harry as a mean to climb the social ladder? Then why did she object to Draco so much?

Shaking his head in frustration, woving to keep a close eye on the girl and to try to pick Severus' brain for his opinion at earliest opportunity, Lucius came to a halt as he took in the cute scene before him. Draco was laying on his side, curled up around Harry, holding the brunet in a protective embrace, while Harry was curled up around Draco, resting his head on the blond's chest.

They were both sleeping peacefully, and the feelings Lucius got from the necklace were those of happiness and content. Sitting down on the edge of the matress Lucius knew he should head off to his own room for a change of clothes and something to eat. Still, taking in the sight before him, the blond aristocrat could feel how the serene picture the two teens made was healing a few of the wounds in his soul.

Against all odds, Draco had found happiness. He had found his mate, and even though Lucius had been dubious in the beginning -- this was after all Harry Bloody Potter! The bane of the Dark Lord -- he had come to care more and more for the orphaned boy. Each day the brunet wormed his way deeper into Lucius' heart, and he was powerless to stop it. Not that he wanted to, Harry was a very lovable young man, who had risen above events that would have caused most people to crumble.

Not Harry though. Harry had taken what life -- not to mention Dumbledore! -- had thrown at him, and somehow he had concured it all, while keeping his sweet loving nature. Oh, the boy had a lot of issues that needed to be dealt with. He had a lot of healing to do, before he could fully put the past behind him. But that was all righ. He had Draco now. Not to mention Severus and himself. They would all happily behind by the youth's side, gladly giving what ever the teen needed. Willingingly do whatever was required to help him accept who and what he was, and to do what he needed to do, no matter what that turned out to be.

Taking one last look at the boys, Lucuius climbed to his feet. He had things to do, papers to read. Mercury, the kind soul that he was, had given him an armful before he left the solicitor's office, stating that all of them were urgent and needing his signature, preferably the day before yesterday.

Shaking his head, the blond made his way to the doorway. Looking back over his shoulder to make sure that he hadn't disturbed their rest, Lucius found that he didn't want to leave. He liked watching over the boys. He found that he even needed to be near them, making sure that nothing was plaguing them; that nothing was causing them distress.

Duty and need warred within him for several long seconds. Then Lucius shrugged and quitely conjured a large, comfortable black leather armchair. He was Lucius Malfoy, he could do whatever he wanted. And if he wanted to watch over his boys, who was to stop him?

Nodding his head in satisfaction, Lucius spelled his clothes into somthing more comfortable and settled in the chair, putting his feet up on the foot of the bed. Leaning his head back he breathed deeply as the calm of the room settled over him, feeling tense muscles start to unknott. Before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

HPDM

Harry woke up slowly with a large, goofy grin on his face. That had to have been one of the best dreams of his life, and as he lay there in bed remembering, he found himself hoping that he and Draco would dream together again, only without the aid of potions this time.

Keepings his eyes closed, Harry listened to the steady heartbeat under his ear, taking comfort in the way his head and upper body was rising and falling with each breath Draco was taking. To think he had been so afraid of getting close to another human being. To allow someone, anyone, to get close to him. Harry wasn't sure what had changed, he only knew that his connection with the Veela had changed. They had become closer somehow.

Not feeling up to trying to figure out what had changed, or even how he knew that somethign had, Harry was content to just lay there and be. Inadvertadly however, his thoughts soon turned to his past. Specifically to the Dursleys. Thinking back on the way they had treated him, comparing it to the way they had always coddled Dudley, Harry remembered all the times he had felt jealous of his cousin. How he had wished that just once, his Aunt would lavish attention on him the way she was always doting on her son.

He had never wanted the gifts or the money they had always given Dudly. Oh, he had been jealous of that as well, especially at Christmas and on Dudleys' birthdays, but what he had truly wanted was for them to say that they were proud of him. To show him in some way, no matter how small the gesture, that he mattered to them. That they cared.

It had never happened, of course, and Harry knew deep down in his heart that it never would. The Dursleys would always consider him a freak, an unwanted burden that had been foisted upon them. And Harry couldn't help but feel a deep sadness about that. He would probably always mourn what could have been.

But thinking back on the two weeks he had spent with the three Slytherins, Harry couldn't help but feel that there was more to his relatives behaviour, something he hadn't been able to disgern before. Probably due to being too young and too inexperienced.

Picturing Lucius Malfoy in his mind, Harry couldn't help but smile. The blond aristocrat had been so totally different to what he had thought him to be. Lucius' public face was flawless, only showing his indifference and disdain for those he considered beneath thim, and since he considered just about everyone to be beneath him...

Harry chuckled softly, sighing in contentment as the arms around him momentarily tightened. He refused to get sidetracked though, and went back to thinking about the older man.

The face Lucius Malfoy presented when alone with family was a complete opposite to what he showed the public. He was never coldhearted, cutting, or cruel. He didn't sneer, or in any other manner made you feel inferiour or worthless. No, the private Lucius Malfoy was warm and caring. He could laugh and goof around with his son, not caring about his dignity one bit. He was also great at giving hugs, and didn't mind giving emotional support when needed. He didn't even mind when Harry was blubbering all over him for Merlin's sake. He just continued to show that he was there for Harry, and that he would always be for as long as Harry needed him.

And Severus... The man was a lot less snarky now when they were in private. Harry couldn't see himself turning to him when he was in need of a hug though. The man was just not... huggable. Then suddenly he flashed to the previous day when Harry had sobbed all over him and how Severus had just put him on his lap and soothed him until Draco had returned.

Harry was shocked to realise that Severus did care. Oh, he had known that the Potions Master cared about Draco and Lucius, but Harry had been so convinced that Severus merely tolerated him for the Veelas' sake. But the man who had comforted him yesterday, who had shared painful memories of his past... That was not the actions of a man who barely tolerated someone. That was the actions of a man who cared deeply about what happened to him.

Harry blinked in astonishment. Somehow he had gone from being alone without someone to turn to, to having three staunch supporters who would do anything for him. And Harry found that he would do anything for them. No matter what, if is was within his power, he would do it.

And that, Harry realised with sudden startling clarity, was the difference between the Dursleys and his new family. Draco, Lucius, and Severus would all do anything to help him, no matter the personal cost. Harry doupted very much that Dudley could say the same for his family. Oh, his parents wold shower him with money and wordly possesions. Vernon would tell him how proud he was of him, even when he came home with lousy grades, and any bad behaviour would be explained away or even blamed on Harry.

But if push came to shove, then Harry doubted that either parent would stand by their son. In fact, hadn't their behaviour already shown that they didn't care about the welfare of their own flesh and blood? If they cared about Dudley's future, wouldn't they have put a stop to his tantrums and such while he was still a toddler? Wouldn't they have demanded he exhert himself in school, helping him to improve himself and his grades?

Having experienced true love, care, and support, Harry for the first time could see that what Vernon and Petunia Dursley had done towards their son was not love. Dudley was woefully unprepared to face the real world. He was a bully and well on his way to become a thug. His grades weren't good enough to enable him to get into a good school, and without edcucation he would get nowhere in this world.

Slowly it was dawning on Harry that the Durlseys were incapable of love. The faces his aunt and uncle showed the world, were the same ones they showed at home. They showered their son with money, sweets, and gifts since that was easier than giving him love. To love someone, you first had to care for them, and Harry had a feeling that neither adult had any true feelings for anyone but themselves. He had no reason to be envious of Dudley. On the contrary, he had every reason to pity his cousin, because all he had was fool's gold, while he, Harry Potter, the freak, the unwanted burden, had the real thing.

For long moments Harry lay there, stunned by his realisation. Then relief and happiness flooded through him, and he had to bite back an urge to giggle madly. Burying his face in Draco's chest, Harry took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down, he didn't want to wake the other boy up. If he was still sleeping, then he probably needed his rest. Harry on the other hand found himself too filled with energy to stay in bed a moment longer, and he began the slow process of extradicting himself from Draco's arms.

It took a while, since Draco seeme determined not to let Harry go, but eventually the teen was standing on his own two feet. Seeing Lucius sitting there sleeping in a chair caused him to pause and lift an eyebrow, but Harry couldn't truly say that he was surprised.

Making sure to keep quiet, Harry started to move towards the door, but then he paused, a mischievious smile gracing his lips. Draco was laying in bed, looking all alone and abandoned. Lucius was sitting in an armchair, looking uncomfortable. Why not solve two problems in one go?

Pulling out his wand, Harry aimed it at Lucius and carefully he moved him from his seat to rest comfortably on the bed. Spreading a soft blanket over the sleeping man, Harry stood still for a few moments, wanting to make sure that neither of them had awakened. Fortunately, both slept on, dead to the world.

Smirking slightly to himself, Harry turned away to leave when Draco moved slightly. Hodling his breath, the brunet waited to see what would happen next. What happened was that Draco moved closer to his father and snuggled into his side, ending up with his head on Lucius' chest, while the aristocrat enveloped his son in a reassureing hug, much as how Draco had done to Harry only moments before.

Feeling sentimental misty eyed, Harry's smirk morphed into a tender smile, and it was with a lighter heart that he left the sleepers alone. They would both be fine now. They would all be fine now.

HPDM

Bounding down the steps to the living room, Harry looked around trying to decide what to do. Seeing all the stack of books, he chuckled knowing exactly what he would be spending his time on while waiting for Draco to wake up.

Walking over to the spot where they had ended up sleeping the previous night, Harry cleared the space by sending the unsorted books back into the trunk. Shrinking the steamer trunk and moving it over to the wall, Harry pulled off his armband, waiting impatiently for it to transform back to a trunk.

Climbing inside, he swiftly made his way over to the room next to the main library. Harry hadn't been lying when he told Draco that he wanted the books from the junk shop in their own library. The books originating from the Black Manor was so many that they alone could have filled up the entire Hogwarts' library, including the Restricted section. Which was why he had never intended to include any other books into it. It was difficult to manage as it was.

No, Harry had planned ahead for this day, and had prepared a second library where he would add his 'junkshop books'. Ever since he had heard about Bartholomew's success in finding rare finds while visiting junkshops, Harry knew that he would follow in the man's footsteps, doing the same. Besides, he found it extremely interesting to read about other people's lives, and it was much more fun to learn about history in this manner. He would take reading diaries anyday over listening to Professor Binn's mindnumbing lectures.

Whisteling a merry tune, Harry walked up to the pedestal standing in the middle of the floor, and the stack of books waiting on it's surface. Vacalliating slightly, Harry picked up the ledger bound in a deep red leather. Carefully he crafted the word _Diaries_ onto the front of the book's cover, careful not to carve too deep.

Putting it to the side, Harry next picked up the ledger done in a pale blue leather, and carved just as carefully _Work Journals_ onto it. Scrunching up his face while he tried to figure if it was worth to prepare a third ledger, Harry eventually shrugged and picked one, not caring particularly what colour it had.

Grasping the three ledgers, Harry walked over to one of the wooden bookcases that were covering the walls of the room, reaching from the floor to the ceiling. Taking out his wand the teen carefully tapped the four corners on the front of the ledger marked _Diaries_, using a clockwise motion, starting in the upper right corner. He then tapped it twice in the middle before turning to the bookshelf, tapping it smartly twice as well with his wand while stating 'Connect' in Parsletongue. Taking in the size of the bookcase, Harry did the same for four more bookcases, finishing the spell by flipping the ledger over, tapping it in the middel of the back twice, ending with tapping the four corners, starting in the bottom right one and moving anticlockwise. Putting the ledger down, Harry did the same for the blue and the golden coloured ones, moving around the library as he chose different bookcases in the room to connect to the ledgers.

Carrying all three ledgers, Harry exited the library, and after a quick check on his conservatory, noting that it was in need of attention, Harry left the trunk alltogether. He felt a little bad about breaking his promise to Lucius and Draco, but he couldn't very well wake them up now could he? Not when they so clearly needed their rest. And he was sure their happiness at getting the clutter dealt with would outweigh his small transgression. Besides, the sooner the living room was empty, the sooner they could start plotting on how to get their hands on Dumbledore's hoarded treasures.

Nodding his head in satisfaction, secure in his knowledge that he would be able to talk himself out of any tight spots this might cause, Harry moved the trunk back until it rested against the far wall, well out of anyones way. Picking up one of the throw pillows placed at the end of the nearest sofa, Harry changed it into something much bigger and more supportive. Placing it on the floor next to one of the sofa tables, Harry plonked down onto the pillow and made himself comfortable. Shriking the legs of the table until they were of a comfortable hight was only a moments work, and Harry shifted on the pillow as he placed the three ledgers onto the tabletop.

Contemplating the stacks closest to him, Harry decided on starting on the diaries since they would take the longest to deal with. Aiming carefully, he pointed his wand to one of the stacks and carefully manouvred it until it was sitting next to him. Cancelling the spell that held the mitchmatched books together, Harry summoned the one on the top and opened it.

Squinting slightly as he struggled to read the words written on the first page, it took Harry a few moments to puzzle out that the diary had been written by a girl named Lucretia Darkmoore, and that she had began writing in 1042. Recording these facts carefully into the ledger, Harry allowed the diary to fall close. Gently he tapped the ledger with the tip of his wand, next he tapped the diary, and lastly he tapped the ledger once more. There was a soft flash, and then the diary was gone.

Chuckling softly, Harry saw in his mind's eye how the diary had been placed on one of the shelves in one of the bookcases he had assigned this ledger to. He almost whished he could do this down in the library, he didn't think he would ever grow tired of witnessing this bit of magic. Unfortunately, it would be too much of a hassle to drag all the books down into the trunk now. He should have thought of that sooner. Besides, he didn't think Draco would take kindly to finding him down there, on his own, even if it was for a good cause.

Pushing the useless musing to the side, he called the next diary to him. Opening it he was relieved to see that it was written in runes, and in one of the languages he was fluent in at that. Swiftly he entered the name Dougal O'Hara, and the year 1501, ending with the connection spell that sent the book on its way.

Due to his time spent in the Black library, Harry was skilled in reading Latin and several different styles of Ancient Runes -- though not the one Killian Longbottom had used in his work journal. He was also sufficient in reading French and he could stumble his way through a text written in German. Old English and Old Latin was still giving him troubles though, much due to the way they were spelling words. Or should that be the way they were not spelling their words? Nothing was constant, and often the spelling depended on what mood the author was in when they were writing down their thoughts and ideas. Far too often Harry was forced to guess what word the author had used, using the context to figure out what word the author ment to use. Could you spell migraine?

Determined not to think of that now, Harry plucked the next book from the stack, humming softly as he worked.

HPDM

Draco was starting to wake up when a most heavenly smell reached his nostrils. His nose twiched, and his brain was happy to inform him that, yes, that was indeed Dobby's extra special Chineese food he was smelling.

Groaning slightly, Draco pondered on what to do. On one hand he had no desire to get up, he was warm and comfortable, and he had no wish to move whatsoever. The arms wrapped around him only added to the feelings of contentment and safety.

On the other hand, both he and Harry had missed lunch, and now that he remembered its existence, his stomach was only too happy to inform him of its far too empty state. In the end his hunger won out, as he had known it would, and Draco began to extract himself from the arms holding him securely to a broad chest.

Blinking his eyes open, Draco looked down at the body he had been curled up against. Gazing into his father's sleeping face, the blond wondered when he had arrived, and where the hell was Harry? Feeling fear clench his heart, Draco swiftly scrambled from the bed, his jostling waking Lucius who watched him with an irritated glare.

"What is your hurry, son? I don't think you have to worry about classes today," Lucius said with a wry twitch of his lips, snuggling back under the blanket.

"As nice as it is sleeping next to you, Father, I am at the moment more concerned about where Harry is. How did you end up sleeping with me anyway? Last thing I remember, I was with Harry, not you!" Draco growled, his worry making him shorttempered. What if Harry had woken up and freaked? What if he decided that he no longer wanted to be Draco's mate? What if...?

Lucius sat up and looked around. There was no sign of Harry, but the aromas coming wafting through the open door made it easy to guess where the wayward teen was. "The last thing I remember is watching you and Harry sleep, curled up around each other. You made such a cute picture I didn't want to leave, so I settled down in the chair standing over there," Lucius said, indicating the armchair still standing next to the bed.

"Oh," Draco mumbled, blushing slightly. Running a hand through his hair, he finsihed crawling out of the bed. Standing up, he streightened out his sleep rumbled clothes while studiously avoiding looking at Lucius.

"What has happened to make you this anxcious? I don't think I have seen you this nervous since you and Harry found each other."

"Well... You see..." Draco stuttered, not sure how to explain what had happened while he and Harry slept.

"Something happened, I knew it!" Lucius groaned, climbing out of the bed as well. "So who was it that upset you this time? Granger? But from what I heard, you have already dealt with her."

Draco's head shot up. "You've heard what happened to Granger?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, son. Salazar was only too happy informing me of the altercation. I'm sure Severus will be only too delighted in filling in the remaining details." Lucius gave his son a screwed look. "If it isn't that Mudblood, then what has gotten your knickers in a twist?"

"Dad!" Draco groaned in exasparation. "I had one of my dreams, you know, a Veela dream. But then it changed, and I found myself on Kitsune, riding towards my favourite place in Austria. Somehow Harry was there, and we kissed and it was wonderful, but what if he woke up and freaked out? What if he doesn't want to be my mate anymore? What if..?"

"By the sound of it, you are the one who woke up frekaing out, as you so aptly put it. Why don't we find that mate of yours and ask him?" Lucius asked, wrapping an arm around his son's shoulders, stearing him out of the bedroom.

They both came to a halt at the top of the staircase. The living room had undergone a change while they had been sleeping. While there were still a lot of stacks cluttering up the floor, it was now possible to mover around without feeling like you were treading around a maze. Harry had clearly been hard at work.

"Harry?" Draco asked, bounding down the steps, his panic momentarily forgotten.

"Hi there, sleepy head," Harry replied, twisting around and sending the blond youth a teasing smile. "I figured the smells would wake you up, fortunate for you, I asked Dobby to double everything."

"I must say that I am impressed," Lucius commented, walking over to where Harry was sitting as well, only he used a much slower and a much more dignified pace.

Harry sent him an amused look, but didn't comment. Instead he turned back and finished the diary he had been working on, startling both of them as it dissapeared with a muted flash. Lucius looked over at Harry, lifting an eyebrow, but the teen just grinned and climbed to his feet, vincing slightly as abused muscles protested movement after being still for so long.

"Anyone hungry? As I said, I asked Dobby to bring a lot," Harry said, limping over to the table that was all but groaning under the wieght of all the foods. "I got hungry, and then I rememered that I never got Draco his Chinese, so I figured I'd get it now instead," Harry explained with only a slight hitch in his voice when he recalled why the promised meal had been postponed.

Not liking it when hsi mate was in distress, Draco walked over to Harry and wrapped his arms around him. "Hey, it wasn't your fault, you know that, right? I am back, safe and sound. And I am never going anywhere without you again, not if I can help it!" he woved firecly.

Harry smiled tenderly and reached up to push a lock of hair away from Draco's eyes. "Yeah, I do know that. It is the times when you can't help it that worries me," he confessed, looking deeply into Draco's silvery eyes.

Lucius pointedly cleared his throat. He was all for the boys getting closer, but they could do that after they had eaten. As if they had hear his thoughts, two stomachs chose that moment to grumble, and the two teens cracked a smile.

Giving Draco's cheek a quick caress, Harry reluctantly stepped away and made his way over to the table. Draco following behind him. Together the three sat down and took stock of the treasures the table held. Picking their favourites, the three loaded their plates and they all dove in, too intent on their hunger to even bother to try keeping a decent conversation going.

HPDM

"So," Lucius said with a glint in his eyes while dabbing delicatly at the corner of his mouth with his napkin. "Do I want to know what it was you dreamed aobut?"

Draco shot his father a dark look, while Harry promptly choked on his drink and his face heated up in a blush. Getting his breath under controll, Harry buried his face in his hands. "Can we talk about this after Severus has arrived? Knowing him, he will want to know every tiny detail, and I am sooo not talking about this twice!"

"Severus? Why would he want to know about this?" Lucius asked, feeling like he was missing something vital.

Harry sighed softly, he didn't like admitting to weakness, but Lucius deserved to know. "When we returned to our room after the... argument with Hermione,"

"That was no argument!" Draco protested vehemently, taking hold of Harry's hand. "She called him a catamite, Dad. She all but accused Harry of being my boy toy. So, yeah, I hexed with that niftly little hex Mercury showed me last year," he told Lucius defiently. Then he frowned, "Something happened though, I'm not sure what."

"Hogwarts is what happened. Apparently the castle wasn't happy with the girl either."

Draco looked surprise, then he looked smug. He had a feeling Hermione Granger would find things most difficult in the future, and it couldn't have happened to a more deserving girl.

"But this still doesn't explain about Severus," Lucius presisted, promising himself to have chat with the girl once she was back to herself.

"I took it pretty hard," Harry said simply, looking down at the hand that was entwined in Draco's. "Draco fell asleep quickly, but I just couldn't relax enough to drift off. Severus came and checked on us when we missed lunch, and he gave me some Dreamless Sleep, promising me that it was safe to take. But something went wrong becuase I ended up dreaming anyway."

"Yeah, and what a dream," Draco broke in with an exagerated dreamy look on his face.

Harry glanced at him, shaking his head in exasperation, all the while fightind down an amused smile.

Lucius watched the byplay, but his mind was busy analysing what he had been told. "That is most unusal indeed. I can see why you'd want to fill him in. Since it probably will be a while before Severus arrives, I suggestions we find ourselves something to do while we wait."

Harry nodded in agreement, getting to his feet. "I'm going to get back to the books. Want to help, Draco? You could do the work journals."

Draco nodded his head in agreement with a smile. He had looked a few of them over the previous night, and several had looked extremely interesting. He couldn't wait to take a second, much closer look.

Lucius watched them settle down at the low table, not understanding why they were sitting on the floor when there was plenty of comfortable chairs available. Shrugging his shoulders he didn't bother to ask them, it probably was a teenage thing. He could vaguely remember how he and Severus had spent several nights on the floor, studying peacefully together.

Toying absentmindedly with his napkin while watching as Harry showed Draco how to record the books and connect them to the ledger, Lucius tried to come up with something to do. He didn't feel like returning to his own temporary, not to mention very empty rooms. He had spent far too much of his life alone, and he never wanted to be that again if he could help it.

Watching the two heads, one dark and one blond, bent down as they diligently worked on their tasks, Lucuius couldn't help but shudder as he remembered how close he had come to lose them. Closing his eyes, he sent a prayer of thanks that they had both been returned safely to him.

Remembering the blasted thing, Lucius suddenly knew what he would do. He would sort through Harry's mail, making sure that it was safe for the boy to read. Banishing the leftovers and the dishes back to the kitchen, Lucius stood up and strode over to Harry's bedroom with determined steps.

Draco looked up briefly, but he didn't bother to ask. Recognising when his father was on a mission, he simply waited and went back to work. If it was something that concerned him, he was sure Lucius would let him know. Besides, he had an inclination what his father was going to get.

Stepping inside Harry's bedroom, Lucius was surprised to find the large amount of mail that had accumulated. The youth hadn't been laid up sick that long. Having no intention to pick the mail up by hand until he was absolutely sure it was safe, the aristocrat turned a sheat of parchment into a box and moved all the letters into it. Levitating it before him, Lucius returned to the living room and sat down at the now empty table.

"Is there anyone you are expecting a letter from?" Lucius asked, casting a common detection spell that would tell him if anything Dark was present. The spell came up empty.

Harry looked up from the diary he was currently desiphering and twisted around until he could see the older man and what he was doing. Understanding lit his eyes and he tried to remember if he was expecting anything from anyone. "Um... the only ones I can think of is Remus Lupin and Abigail Sweetwater. She is the lady with the junkshop," he added when it became clear that Lucius had no idea who he was talking about. "There might be a letter from the Weasley twins, but other than that... no I'm not expecting anything," he added with a small shake of his head.

"What do you wish me to do with the other letters?" Lucius asked, casting a more finetuned detection spell that would tell him if there was anything dangerous present, like hexes, jinxes, and curses or other hazardous things such as Portkeys.

"I don't know?" Harry replied giving Draco a helpless look. "I mean, I'm not interested in reading anymore marriage proposals. And I definitely don't want to know who is interested in carrying my children!" he added, wrinkling his nose in distaste, ignoring the angry growl coming from the blond boy.

"Do you mind if I skim them through, taking stock of what type of letters they are?" Lucius asked, turning his full attention to Harry, wanting to make sure he got his true feelings on the matter.

Harry shrugged. "Feel free, just, don't tell me any of the drivel, okay?"

"I promise not to tease you, too much," Lucius said with a chuckle, turning back to the mail. But not before catching the dark look sent by his son. No, Draco did most certainly not find this situation the least bit funny. Lucius probably wouldn't either if he had been in his son's place, but he wasn't. As a father, however, it was his right to tease his son, and his soon to be son-in-law as well.

Opening the first letter he scanned it quickly, making a face. Marriage proposal. Toying with the letter, Lucius considered what to do with it. In the end, he took the envelope and transfigured it into a box, marking it with the word '_Marriage_'. Putting the letter inside, he picked up the next one. Expecting another marriage proposal, the blond aristocrat choked when the true message sank in.

"That bad, huh?" Harry asked with sympathy.

"Worse," Lucius coughed, struggling to get his breathing under control.

"What could be worse than a marriage proposal?" Harry wanted to know, not understanding how anything could be worse than that. Unless... "Is it a letter from the Dark Lord?" he asked almost fearfully.

"No," Lucius said, shaking his head and sending the youth a reassuring smile.

"They want him to do what?" Draco shrieked in outrage, waving the letter he had yanked from his father's hand around in the air. "Who do these people think they are? When I get my hands on them I'll... I'll... do something. Something nasty! I know, I'll dose them with Black Truth!" Dracco said, finally coming up with someting really bad.

"What in the world..?" Harry asked, as the normally composed boy came completely unravelled before his eyes. "Lucius? What is in that letter?" he asked, not about to come within ten feet of it. Harry just knew that he so did not want to know what the commotion was about, but still... The curiousity was eating him alive.

"It is from a company that makes... well, they make calendars, and they are wondering if you would agree to pose as a model for them," Lucius said, looking and feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Harry lifted an eyebrow. That was all? The way Draco was going on about it, he had thought it was a death threat from the Dark Lord himself. At the very least. "I don't understand. We will just tell them no, right?"

"You bet your sweet ass, we will tell them no!" Draco snarled, rounding on Harry, his eyes flashing.

"Draco!"Lucius snapped, staring his son down with ease.

Draco lowered his eyes and took a deep breath. Holding it in, he slowly counted to ten in ancient Greek. "I'm sorry for snarling at you, Harry," Draco said in a low voice once he had managed to rein his temper in. "But can you blame me?

Harry just looked at him warily, chewing on his lower lip.

"Oh, love, I'm so sorry," Draco whispered, falling to his knees next to Harry, taking both of his hands in his own. "I'm so, so sorry for snapping at you, but... that company, the calendars they make..."

"What my son is trying to inform you, Harry, is that they are mostly famous for their nude photos of male wizards," Lucius said once it became clear that Draco had difficulties in finding the words to tell his mate why he had gone ballistic.

Harry's eyes widened almost comically. Then he blushed. Hotly. "You mean they wanted me to..? Oh, Merlin!" Harry groaned, hiding his flaming face in Draco's chest.

"Yes. But that is never going to happen," Draco stated in his most no-nonsens voice. Free will be damned! His mate was not going to be exploited by those vultures!

"I would never do antything like that!" Harry said, sounding mortified, still hiding in Draco's chest.

"We know," Lucius said in an attempt to reassure both boys. "And Mercury will inform them of that fact. Trust me, they will not be bothering you again!"

Suddenly Harry streightened, socking the other boy in the arm, hard.

"Ouch! What was that for!" Draco cried out, rubbing the sore spot while pouting.

"This is all your fault, Draco Malfoy!" Harry hissed, looking livid. "I told you that telling Nott about me designing the clothes was a bad idea! If you hadn't told him, the Daily Prophet wouldn't have written that bloody article, showing those bloody pictures, and none of this would have. Bloody. Happened!" Harry said, ending up screaming the last, socking Draco in the arm once more for empasis.

"Ouch! Hey, cut it out will you? How was I suppose to know that things would get so completely out of hand! I was proud of you, you pillock! Yes, I wanted the world to know what a beautiful and clever mate I got. So sue me!" Draco said, starting to get annoyed.

"That is enough!" Lucius said with finality. "None of you are at fault. Word would have gotten out sooner or later that you were the one designing your clothes. The article would have been written, and things would have been put in motion, regardless. With Draco telling his fellow Slytherins, he had some meassure of control what was revealed, and more importantly, how it was revealed. Trust me, it could have been far, far worse."

Harry paused and thought that statement over. He wanted to remain angry with Draco, but what Lucius said was true. Considering his past with the press, he could just image the headlines Skeeter could have come up with if she had gotten her information from other sources.

Sighing in defeat, Harry glanced over at Draco. "I'm sorry," he muttered, still not happy, but no longer mad at the blond.

"I forgive you, if you forgive me?" Draco said with a hopeful look.

Harry tilted his head to the side. Then he broke into a smile and nodded. Hesitating only briefly, he leaned forward and enveloped his boyfriend in a warm hug.

Beaming happily, Draco returned the embrace, ending it with a swift peck to tempting lips. Pulling away reluctantly, Salazar but those lips were scrumptious, Draco moved back to his side of the table and started working again, glancing surreptiously over at Harry to gauge his reaction.

Harry pressed his fingers to his lips, looking stunned. Then he broke into a grin, and humming happily he returned to his own work, casting frequent glances over at Draco.

Lucius breathed a sigh of relief. Another catastrophy diverted. Looking down at the mail with a look of utter distaste on his face, the blond decided that he would go through the rest of it in private. There was certainly no need for Draco to find out what this drivel contained.

Flipping through the letters, looking for the names of the people Harry had mentioned, Lucuius hand paused when he came to one unexpected sender. Smiling slightly, Lucius looked up at where Harry was sitting and called out in a teasing tone, "Harry, this is a letter I think you want to look at."

Harry's head shot up, as did Draco's. "What is it? Is it the letter from Remus?" Harry asked, climbing to his feet.

"No, I havn't found his letter yet," Lucius replied, hoping for the wolf's sake that there indeed was a letter from Lupin somewhere in this mess.

"Then what is it?" Harry repeated, accepting the envelope from the aristocrat. Turning the letter over and over, the brunet looked at the sender with some confusion. "Loreleis? Who is that?" he asked, having a vague notion that the name sounded familiar to him.

"Not who, what!" Draco said with excitement. "Don't you remember? The chessmen! Severus suggested that you get in touch with them about the chessmen you created in class."

Harry's eyes widened as he remembered. The Potions Master had been most insistent that Harry send them in, and Harry, not believing him for a moment that the company would be interested, had ungraciously given in and told the man that he could do it for all Harry cared. Looking back down at the envelope, holding it as if it was about to explode any second, Harry turned worried eyes onto the Malfoys. "Why do you think they are writing me?" he asked, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach.

"Are you kidding?" Draco asked, looking at Harry like he was crazy, not understanding why the brunet wasn't excited about this.

"I think that what my son is trying to state is that he is sure, as am I, that the company loved your idea and are asking for your premission to start producing chess figures, using your design," Lucius said dryly, noting carefully the different emotions flitting across Harry's face. Salazar, but the boy was insecure in himself and his own abilities.

Harry just shook his head. "How do you know that they aren't just writing a polite letter telling me that they aren't interested?" he countered, more sure of that outcome than Draco's optimism.

Lucius tilted his head slightly to hte side. "Why don't you open the letter and find out?" he asked gently.

Harry opened his mouth, about to ask one of the others to do it. But then he closed it again. He was supposed to battle the Dark Lord, and he couldn't even work up the nerve to open one, small little letter? Feeling disgusted with himself, Harry tore the envelope open, ignoring the letter knife the older Malfoy held out to him.

Pulling out the sheat of parchment Harry unfolded it slowly. Doing his best to ignore Draco who was trying to read over his shoulder, Harry took a deep breath and began to read. Draco whooped with joy, raising a fist into the air before starting to do a victory dance around the room. Grumbling under his breath, Draco shout had all but deafened him on that ear, Harry handed the letter over to Lucius while rubbing the offended ear.

_Dear Mister Potter,_

_  
I am very pleased to be sending you this offer. Your chess figures has delighted us, causing us to marvel at the excuisit detail and at the thought put into the work. We, the company of Loreley, wishes to purchase the rights to include your idea in our next line of chess pieces. _

_We also feel that your design deseve a special chess board. Do you wish to create this yourself, or do you wish us to do it? Below is included a few ideas that our creators got, but the last word on the subject is of course yours._

_Please look over the included contract and get back to us at your earliest convenience._

_Sincerely_

_Betthany Loreley_

_Director of the Loreleis._

_PS. I understand you had some concerns about being evaluated for your skills and not your name. Let me assure you, that Severus Snape when he contacted us kept the information of the creator of the wonderful figures kept in a locked envelope. It wasn't until the decision had already been made and written down on a specially charmed paper that ensured that we couldn't change our minds once we knew the name of the creator that the information was made available to us. _

_Your work truly is remarkable, exuisit, not to mention new and invigorating. If it wasn't for the fact that you are still in school, I would have offered you employment right away. If you get any other ideas for chess figures, please, do not hesitate to send it to us. I would love to include them in our collection._

Lucius looked up from the letter with a pleased look on his face. "I do not wish to be crude, but I do believe that a 'I told you so' is in order here," he stated with a teasing smile.

Harry's head whipped around to look at Lucius with astonishment. Then he ruefully smiled. "Prat," he said fondly, the reality of the letter yet having to sink in. Taking the letter back from the older Malfoy, Harry once more read it through, this time much more slowly, taking his time to ponder the words and looking for hidden meanings.

Lucius in the meantime was looking over the contract. It was very generous, and looked to be straighforward. Still, he would send it off to Mercury for him to look it over. You could never be too careful when it came to business.

"Do you think I should do the chess board?" Harry asked, looking up at Lucius, breaking the man's train of thought. "I mean, there is nothing wrong with their ideas, I just..." Harry trailed off, not sure how to put his feelings into words. Especially since he wasn't sure what his feelings on the matter were.

"Oh, will you stop that you big baby!" Harry snapped, glaring over at Draco who was still doing a victory dance around the room, adding a 'Yes!' or a whoop now and then for empasis. Unfortunately for the Veela, Harry's emotions were stirred enough for his words to have an unexpected sideeffect.

Draco froze midjump, coming down hard and awkward, and he could feel pain shoot up his leg as he landed wrong on his left foot. Spitting out the object that had suddenly appeared in his mouth, the blond hardly dared to look down at his own body. At least he hadn't shrunken in size, but by the sudden draft he cold tell that he no longer was dressed in his own clothes.

Harry and Lucius were frozen in shock as well, their eyes wide as cantalopes, and their mouths hanging open in silent horror.

Just then the portrait banged open and Severus entered, grumbling under his breath about idiotic dunderheads and prepubic imbecilles. Looking up he stumbled, but managed to righten himself before he ended up flat on his face. Standing there, not sure if he was to believe his eyes, or if the explosion after lates blown-up cauldron had had more effect on him than he had realised, causing him to see strange, nightmareish vision while not sleeping.

"Draco?" Severus asked tentativly, reaching out a hand to... he wasn't sure what he'd intended to do. Take the boy into his arms and comfort him perhaps?

Draco pouted -- perhaps not the wisest move under the circumstances -- and folded his arms across his chest while huffing in annoyance.

His actions broke the frozen state the others had found themselves in. Harry clamped his hands over his mouth in an attempt to stiffle his mirth, doing a poor job of it. Faced with Harry's infectious giggles, it didn't take long for Lucius to lose the battle with his own hilarity, and he ended up holding his ribs while fighting to breathe.

Severus was for some reason the one who was hit hardest. The normally dour, controlled man doubled over with hysterical laughter, hugging his midriff in an attempt to hold his aching ribs together, while tears streamed down his face.

Neadless to say, it took a very long time before any of the three was coherent again.

HPDM

"Alright, alright, you've had your fun, could you please change me back now? It's getting cold, and I want Severus to look at my ankle, I think I've twisted it," Draco said plaintivly, looking pleadingly at his mate who immeditely got a contrite look on his face.

"I'm sorry, Draco. Does it hurt? Want me to get you a potions or something? As for changing you back... what happened? I mean, how did you end up...?" Harry waved a hand over Draco's much changed appearence.

Severus held back a giggle as he walked over to where his godson was standing, picking him up with little effort and carried him to one of the sofas. Prodding the tender foot it didn't take him long to agree with Draco's prognosis, the ankle was indeed twisted. Reaching into his pocket for the apropriate salve, the Potions Master began treating the foot while waiting for an explanation.

Draco sighed, leaning his head back. He supposed he had only himself to blame for this. He should have mentioned it sooner. Still, it could have been worse, he could actually have been _turned_ into a baby.

"Harry, wath was you thinking when you said those words to me?" Draco asked, figuring that that was a good a place to start as any.

"Um...I was thinking that you were behaving like a baby, and..." Harry said, trying to think back on words said in a moment of heat.

"Yes?" Draco prompted gently when the other boy trailed off.

Ducking his head and blushing Harry said, "I got this image in my head, what you would have looked like dressed... well, like that," he admitted pointing to the baby blue knitted little cap securely tied under the blond's chin, completel with two baby blue tassels. On his feet was a pair of baby socks, made of the same blue yarn, and around his middle...

"What in Salazar's name _is_ that?" Draco asked, having followed the progess of his mate's eyes as he took in once more how Draco was dressed. With disgust he fingered the strange material the diper tied around his private parts was made of.

"That is the kind of dipers Muggles use. I take it that wizards don't use anything like that?" Harry asked, momentarily sidetracked.

"No, we don't," Lucius said, his lips still twitching like mad. "And as amusing as this has been, I think it is time to allow Draco to dress more properly, don't you?"

"But, I have no idea how that happened!" Harry said, starting to get distressed.

"Hey, hush, come here," Draco murmured, pulling a resisting Harry into his arms. With his eyes he begged the older men to back off, and after only a brief hesisation, they complied, retreating to where they could still observe the pair, but not overhear what was being said.

"Look, Harry, I'm not angry with you. Well, not anymore," Draco amended his words, deciding to go for brutal honesty. "I know you didn't do this on purpose. In fact, I only got the idea myself this morning when the Weasel lost his hair. I think you are able of doing wandless magic, especially when your emotions are running high."

"I did that!" Harry squaked, suddenly flashing back to how he had tried to imagen what the redhead looked like without his hair.

"I suspect so. I also think you are the reason he was only able to sound like a jack ass the other day. You did call him an ass, didn't you?"

"Yeah! But... I never ment for anything like that to happen!" Harry protested. "Merlin, I'm a bigger danger than I thought! I need to get away from here!" he cried out, trying to jump to his feet.

Only Draco's strong grip held him in place. "No! You are not a danger! Remember what I told you before? That you don't have a mean bone in your body? Well, that still is true! You didn't know that you were doing it. Now we do know, and we can find a way to make sure that it doesn't happen again.

"Remember what the Founders told you? About you being a Dark Elf?" Draco continued, his mind spinning as he theorised while he spoke. Subtly he motioned for the men to rejoing them again, they would need to know about this as well, at it might be a good idea not to have to go over it twice the same night.

Harry reluctantly nodded, still tense and poised to get away as soon as Draco's arms slackened the tiniest bit. Draco sensed this and held onto his mate with all his might. "Remember what they said about Dark Elfs? That they were the warriors, but also that they were the builders?"

Again Harry nodded, not quite sure where the Veela was taking this, but prepared to listen, because a small part of his heart was hoping that Draco would be able to make this okay too.

"All Elves, but especially Dark Elves, have their magic tied to their emitions. You were irritated, agitted, call it whatever you want, but your emotions were running exeptionally high when these insidents happened, right?"

Harry paused to think, before he nodded his head once more in agreement.

"Do you see? You are not a danger to anyone. You didn't wish anyone to drop dead, or to be mutilated or anything. Ron Weasley was acting like a jackass, so he was forced to act the part for a while. I'm sure it was good for him, giving him time to think about his actions," Draco added dryly, pleased when he managed to elict a small giggle from Harry.

"Then there was the insident with the hair, you were not upset that time, but you were tired and cranky, weren't you? Not fully in control of your emotions and magic?"

"Hey! I was not cranky!" Harry protested, but there was no true heat behind his words and Draco ignored him.

"And then there was now. I obviously made your rather annoyed, and for that I apologise. I was just so proud of you! The Loreleis are the best in the business, and for them to offer you a contract and future employment if you want it, it's just... Wow!"

"Wow, huh?" Harry said with a weak chuckle, shifting slightly so he could look Draco in the eyes. "You mean that? Do you really, truly mean that?"

Draco frowned in confusion. "Mean what? That it is wow? You bet I do."

"No!" Harry protested in agitation. "Did you mean the part about not... not being afraid of me?"

"Oh, Harry, of course I'm not afraid of you! I _know_ you! You would never hurt me, _never_."

"How can you be so sure? Look at what just happened," Harry said, gesturing towards Draco's prone body.

"How can you be so sure that I'm not going to hurt you?" he retaliated.

"Huh?"

"I'm a strong wizard. Hell I'm a strong, Dark wizard, who probably knows more curses and hexes than you do. How do you know that I'm not going to do anything painful to you as payback?"

Harry was taken aback. Draco would never do anything like that. Not towards him. The Veela just wasn't like that, not when it came to him, and that was not only because Harry was his mate. The teen wasn't sure how he knew this, he just did.

"Because that is not in your nature," Harry said with a fond smile as he reached up to gently caress Draco's face. "We were enemies for five years, Draco, and never in that time did you do worse by us than we did you. In fact, I have a feeling the three of us was much worse than you were. Ron did try to hex you to spew up slugs after all."

Draco chuckled. "See? Just as you know me, I know you. If you can't trust yourself when it comes to your powers, then trust me," he said sincerely, looking deeply into Harry's eyes, willing him to believe him.

Harry looked into Draco's beautiful, silvery eyes, looking for deception but finding only love. In the end, he cupped the other boy's cheek and murmured, "I will."

His eyes lightening up with happiness, Draco gently pulled Harry forward until he could kiss him, chuckling softly as he felt the baby clothes melt away and he was once more dressed in his own clothes. It was a relief, because getting a hard on in that diper thing had not been pleasant!

HPDM

"You, my friend, have raised one fine young man," Severus said as he and Lucius sat talking, watching over the two boys who was cuddling together on the sofa. They too were talking quietly, and Harry was basking in the love Draco was showing him. Then again, the Veela was doing some basking himself in the love coming off from Harry.

Lucius had filled his mate in on what had happened during the afternoon, and both men agreed that something had happened to change the dynamic between the boys. They seemed to have come to some unspoken agreement, and Lucuius realised that he needed to get that letter off to the Elven King before much longer.

"Have I thanked you for sending off that letter to the Loreleis?" Lucius asked, returning his attention back to Severus who chuckled.

"Yes, you have. Several times in fact. I knew they would like them, but I had no idea they would offer such a generous contract. And it was written before they knew who the creator was. I was rather specific in my demands. I even got a rather nasty note from Betthany Lorelei, asking if I wanted to tell her how to run her company as well. I just wrote her back and told her that if she wanted those chess pieces to be prodcued by her company, then she would have to do things according to my rules. Evidently, she did," Severus said with a smug little smirk.

"Evidently she did," Lucius agreed with a chuckle. "You might have done us a disservice thought," he warned, lowering his voice, making sure that the boys couldn't hear him.

"Disservice to _us_?" Severus repeated, giving Lcuius a noncomprehending look.

"Yes, _us_. He has alredy talked me into helping him open a shop selling sweets, and he has you slathering at the mouth at the thought of the expedition to the rainforest. Money is the main thing that has held him back so far. That and a lack of faith in his own ideas.

"We both know that Draco won't allow him to back down from signing that contract, and yes, it surprised me as well as to how much money they are willing to pay him, especially if he designs the chess board, which I have a feeling he will end up doing.

"Now, with no worries about money issues, and an endless supply of loving support, what do you think that boy will end up doing next?" Lucius asked with a pointed look.

Severus opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again, saying, "You know, I haven't the faintest idea. I do know, however, that I probably do not want to know. And yet, I can't wait to find out."

Lucius laughed, clapping him heartily on the back. "Then we are feeling pretty much the same thing. Glad to know I'm not the only one feeling confused on that subject."

Severus ignored him with practised ease. "There is still the problem with his temper. If I understood you correctly, the two of you had a good start on the meditation?"

Lucius thought back to their lesson, Salazar it seemed so long ago! "He had some problems, but that was only expected since it was his first time. He is far from ready learning Occlumency though, if that is what you had in mind."

Severus gave him an impatient look. "Of courese he isn't ready for Occlumency yet! Not to mention that none of us is in any shape to teach him at the moment. I was more thinking along the line of daily meditations. If they got into the habit of doing it everyday, then it would be a big step towards the day they do learn Occlumency. Ideally would be in the morning, but knowing teenagers, that is not an ideal time, not when you are just starting and there are enough things to destract you as it is. No, I was more thinking of having them doing it in the evenings. Perhaps just before going to bed?"

Lucius thought the suggestion over. It wasn't a bad idea, and it would help the boys relax, which should help them get a good night's sleep. "I think that is for the best as well. With Granger gone, things should calm down between Harry and the Gryffindors. Apparently, it is mostly her and Weasley that are stirring up trouble. The Longbottom boy is openly supporting them, and there are little strife in the Slytherin House, aside from Pansy of course."

The two men shared a smirk. The girl shouldn't be a problem for much longer. She was thick, but not even she was that dumwitted. Sooner or later she would come to realise that Draco was off the market.

Together they sat in a comfortable silence, relaxing after an eventful day.

"I don't know about you, but I always get this itching feeling between my shoulderblades when Draco is this quiet," Lucius eventually said, casting another glance at the boys who were talking quietly, a disturbingly gleeful look appeared on their faces every now and then, and the way they were giggling was _not_ reassuring.

"I belive you are correct, Luce. It is our duty as father and godfather to make sure that our charges don't get in deeper than they can handle," Severus said solemnly, giving Lucius a grave look.

They nodded for a few moments, both looking seroious and grave. Then Lucius snorted, and the two dissolved into laughter.

Over on the couch Draco looked over at the two men, shaking his head in fond exasperation.

"What's up with them?" Harry asked in curiousity, trying to see what was so funny.

"Don't ask me, I don't know," Draco said, still shaking his head.

"Do you think we should head over and find out?" Harry asked, reaching for the blanket that was covering them both.

"Too late, thery are already coming over here. So, what's so funny?" Draco asked, giving his father a searching look, hoping to get in on the joke.

"You will understand once you have children of your own," Lucius said, not about to try and explain something to his son that he just could not understand until he had experienced it himself.

"It's a parent thing," Draco said, rolling his eyes. "It's his way of telling me what a hellion I was as a child, and not to come complaining to him the day I have my own kids."

"Oh?" Harry said, his eyes lighting up with mischief.

"No! We are not going to start sharing stories about what I did as a baby!" Draco said empathatically.

"Don't worry, Loveling, those stories are best shared when Draco isn't present," Lucius said with a wink.

"Then I am never letting Harry out of my sight! Problem solved," Draco returned, looking smugly at his father.

Not wanting to get a father-son argument started, Severus turned to Harry and said, "I noticed that there are a lot less books taking up space when I entered, finally did the sensible thing and threw the lot out?"

Harry drew himself up to his full hight, which was somewhat difficult since he was still in Draco's embreace, and said forcefully, "Bite your tongue, Professor Snape!" He would probably have taken offence, if he hadn't seen the teasing glint deep inside onyx eyes. Almost desperate for a change in subject, since he didn't want to think about the fact that he didn't have a parent who could tell embarrassing stories about his childhood, Harry was only too happy to play along.

Severus lifted a sardonic eyebrow. "Then where are they? You haven't put them in my room, have you?" he asked loooking aghast, as he imaged his immaculate sitting room covered in grimy old books.

Harry gave him an apologetic look. "But there was the only place with enough space," he complained, doing a remarkable authentic looking quiver of his bottom lip.

Severus' eyes narrowed, taking in the downhearted, downtrodded look Harry sported, and the laughing devilment that could be seen in his green eyes. "Brat!" he stated fondly, and Harry dissolved in giggles.

Taking a halfhearted swing at the boy, Severus admitted ruefully, "You almost had me there. So where are they?"

"In the trunk of course, where else would they be?" Harry asked innocently.

"Where else indeed," Draco said with a snort. "I've been working on catalouging the work journals, and I would like your opinoin on a few of them. Is it alright if I show them to Severus?" Draco asked, looking over to Harry. He had just realised that the books belonged to him after all.

"Sure, I don't mind at all," Harry said with a smile. "In fact, why don't you and Severus inspect my potions lab, I'm sure the Professor is dying to tell me how I've done the whole place completley wrong," Harry added with a teasing smile. He still had a lot of respect, hell, even fear for the Potions Professor, but Severus was an entirely different matter.

"And what will you be doing? If I may be as bold as to ask that is," Severus said haughtily, delighted that Harry was beginning to treat him the way he was treating Lucius. It showed promsie for their future life together.

"I need to start sorting out the DA," Harry replied with a small sigh. "I made a commitment to the students, and I need to keep it, even if I don't feel like it at the moment. Things has been so... weird lately," he complained.

"I know what you mean, love. But a few more hexes and I'm sure they will learn to keep their unwanted attention way away from us," Draco said with a ressuring smile. "A few dips in the lake, a few turned into donkies -- or worse -- and I'm sure they will see the wisdom of not pissing us off."

"Language, son, and you will not be turning anyone else into anything non-human until Granger has been returned to her normal self, is that understood? The professors are going to need to have _some_ students to teach after all."

"Har, har, everyone's a comedien these days," Draco pouted, not happy that his fun had been curtailed. Then his mind registred what exactly his father had said, and he shared a glance with Harry. The brunet had heard and understood the order as well. Looking back at his father, Draco put on his best innocent smile, and nodded in agreement.

Seing the angelic smile on his son's face, Lucius felt ghostly fingers run up and down his spine. Draco was up to somthing, and he defineitely knew that he most empathetically did not want to know what that something was.

* * *

**Next Time:  
**We find out if the hickey stayed or not, grin.  
We also find out more about what different people are thinking about Harry.  
Until Then... 


	50. Talks

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter.

**A/N:** I have re-written the first two chapters of this story since I felt they were in dire need of an overhaul. I hope you will like them.

Thank you Vaughn and Lia for helping me with the grammar.

* * *

**_Talks_**

Bill Weasley Flooed into his twin brothers' apartment, surprised as always at the tasteful decor of the place. Somewhere along the way, the two clowns of the family had grown up. Oh, they would always be a pair of pranksters, and Bill would _never_ fully trust them around food or drink; nevertheless, they had grown up.

"Greetings and salutations," he called cheerfully as he brushed the soot off his clothes. Clean again, Bill made his way to where the others were sitting. "So, what are we going to do about that prat of a brother of ours?" he asked, sitting down on the couch next to Charlie, accepting the mug of cocoa one of the twins was handing him. Giving the mug a suspicious look, he took a sip nevertheless.

Fred barked a laugh, but there was little humour in it. "Who would have thought that Ron would turn out to be an even bigger idiot than Percy? Dear Merlin, but what is wrong with those two? It can't be that they are blinded by ambition, because we all have that, and in spades, and we aren't stuck-up prats like those two are."

"Bad genes, they are bound to show up in even the best of families," George said with a fatalistic air, shrugging his shoulders. He wasn't particularly concerned; he had the best of his family gathered around him. The only one missing was Ginny, and it was due to her warning that the brothers had gathered here tonight.

"I understand that you have already made your displeasure with our youngest brother known?" Charlie asked, sipping on his hot cocoa. He would have preferred something stronger, but knew from experience that hard liquor and discussing prats did not mix well. At least not for him.

"Yeah, you should have seen it!" Fred said, his eyes lightening up with delight. "It was priceless. Wait, I'll get the pictures," he added, bounding out of his armchair.

"Pictures?" Charlie asked, glancing wearily after his energetic brother. "What exactly did you two hellions do?"

George grinned, bouncing slightly in his chair. "We sent Ronnikins a letter filled with Bubotuber pus. We knew he'd be too thick to check it out for unfriendly fire. Apparently, we got him but good!"

Charlie groaned, shaking his head.

"We had charmed the letter to explode in his face, taking care to make sure it wouldn't harm his eyes of course. He might be on our bad side, but we'd never do anything to damage him permanently. He is family, after all. Unfortunately," Fred sighed, handing his older brother a small stack of photos.

Unprepared for the sight, Charlie choked on his cocoa, forcing Bill to pound his back to unclog his airway. "Merlin and his beard, what did you two do?" Charlie asked while, beside him, Bill was busting a rib laughing.

"We told you, we--"

Charlie waved the explanation aside. "You already told me that, but that doesn't explain these," he said, waving the photo of a bald Ron around.

"We charmed the pus to go everywhere, but especially into his hair. The treatment for Bubotuber pus doesn't react well with human hair, so for Pomfrey to be able to treat the wounds on his scalp, she had to vanish his hair first. Personally, I think that look suits him," George said gleefully.

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," Bill said, sending the twins an admiring look.

"Just don't hurt those who are family," Fred said, waving the look aside. "So what do we do about Ron? He is the biggest threat since he is in school with Harry and has the easiest access to him."

"I'm not so sure he is the biggest threat, although he is certainly the closest," Bill said musingly.

Charlie nodded. "I agree with Bill; you haven't been around much lately, but Mum is sprouting off nonsense to anyone who wants to hear it. She has actually grown worse since the Prophet revealed that Percy was involved with that Dementors' attack on Harry."

"And as usual, Percy can do no wrong in her eyes," Bill said, making a face. "You know, it is no wonder Percy turned out that way he did, what with Mum always holding him up like some sort of paragon or something. She was forever telling you younger kids to follow his example, how could he _not_ become a stuck-up prig?"

The other three nodded their heads in agreement, and silence fell over the room as they contemplated their brother.

"All we can hope for is that that whole fiasco taught Percy a valuable lesson," Bill said eventually, having brought refills for everyone.

Charlie nodded his head in agreement. "He is lucky to still have a job, even though he was demoted to a mere secretary. At least he is still working for Fudge," Charlie said, making a face. Why his brother would want to stick up for that man was more than the dragon tamer could ever understand.

"Yeah, but I'm not so sure Percy agrees with you," George said with a snicker.

"He could have ended up like that bitch, Umbridge," Bill said evenly, though he was fighting hard to hide his amusement. Due to his employment with Gringotts, the curse breaker had managed to work out a way to be present at the closed trial of Dolores Umbridge. Until he knew just what Umbridge had been up to, the Minister of Magic would not risk even more bad publicity by having the press present.

The proceedings had been swift, short, and brutal. Fudge, in his desperation to stay on the people's good side, had dosed his Senior Undersecretary with the strongest dose of Veritaserum possible, and turned her over to an Inquisitor.

The things the toady woman had admitted to, all in the name of the Ministry, and Fudge, had rocked them all. Apparently, Dolores had ruthlessly suppressed any and all opposition to her beloved Cornelius. She had not been above fabricating truths, sending several poor bastards to Azkaban, and having multiple others fired from their positions. It left them all reeling, and the legal department had their work cut out for them, freeing the innocent and finding suitable compensations for those who'd been wronged. Fudge would not come out smelling like roses this time, that was for sure.

Fudge knew that as well, and was only too happy to accept the verdict that had sent Umbridge to Azkaban for life.

Percy was also grilled, but it soon became clear that he was nothing but a bootlicker, eager to please whomever he was working for. He had known what he did was wrong, but managed to explain away his actions with the age old excuse that he was only following orders. Fudge was all for firing him, but since he didn't need any more bad publicity, settled for demoting the youth to a secretary. After all, Percy _was_ good at his job, and hopefully this experience would knock some of the hot air out of him.

Bill had shared his memories of the trial with his family, and most of them agreed that Percy had gotten what he deserved. Only Molly had disagreed, ranting and raving about the unfairness of the Ministry prosecuting her sweet baby boy, when she wasn't sobbing into her handkerchief.

Arthur had done his best to soothe her, but when she started in on how all this was Harry's fault, the Weasley patriarch finally put his foot down. The normally gentle and even-tempered man had flown into a passion, proving once and for all that he was both a Weasley and a redhead, dressing his wife down and tearing strips from her hide.

Molly had stared at him, open-mouthed, before running from the room, crying true tears of distress. For once, her husband did not follow to calm her, but took the rest of his family out to celebrate the downfall of Dolores Umbridge. Things had been strained in the Weasley home since then, and most of the brothers did their best to avoid spending time at the Burrow. They did what they could to support their father, often going out and having lunch with him, as much as time and duties allowed.

"Unfortunately, there isn't much we can do about Mum," George said with a sad, tired sigh, bringing Bill back to the present. "We have tried to talk to her, repeatedly, but she just refuses to listen."

Fred nodded his head in agreement. Both he and George had all tried to make their mother see reason, but she was determined to paint Harry blacker than black. What truly irritated him, though, was that Molly refused to listen to them, treating them like toddlers. And if they dared to persist, she would turn on them, and tear into them for the hundred time how they had left school and never finished their N.E.W.T.s. As if they needed them! They were doing fine, thank you very much, who needed some stupid grade anyhow?

Bill and Charlie nodded their heads in agreement. They too had tried to reason with Molly, having as much luck as the twins. The woman just refused to _listen_.

"I suppose all we can do is making sure that Harry knows that we don't share Mum's feelings. And to help him deal with Ronnikins," Fred said, voicing what they were all thinking.

The four brothers finished their drinks in silence, and then they sat down to plot. They were confident that, between the four of them, they would be able to devise a way to make sure that Ron left Harry alone.

HPDM

Aaaaargh!" With a sudden scream, Narcissa threw the book she'd been trying to read across the room, getting some small satisfaction when it hit the wall with a thud.

"Is something troubling you, sister dear?" Bellatrix asked, looking up from her own book. Giving the disgruntled witch a wicked smile, she slowly and carefully selected a piece of chocolate, popping it into her mouth.

Narcissa glowered darkly at her. "How can you sit there and be so bloody _calm_?" she demanded.

Bellatrix shrugged her shoulders carelessly. "Why shouldn't I? It is lovely here. I can spend my days sunning myself or swimming in the ocean. Or I can take long walks, not having to worry about being arrested. And when I've had had enough of the outdoors I can sit here, in my comfortable chair, reading as many lurid novels I wish without being teased about it, eating what sweets I want. Why should I stress about it?"

Narcissa snorted and got up to pace around the room. "I don't believe you! Well, actually I do. Considering the company you have kept for the past few years, I suppose this is the height of luxury for you," she said with a sneer.

"I, on the other hand, have grown accustomed to an entirely different life! Besides, you know very well that I am unable to eat any sweets aside from those blasted lemon drops! Just wait until I get my hands on Lucius. This is all his fault! I can't believe that he turned his back on me like that! He was supposed to be under my rule for life!" Narcissa wailed, collapsing back into her chair. Then she yelped as the chair suddenly bit her and she sprang to her feet with alacrity.

"Serves you right," Bellatrix said with a snigger. "You should know not to insult Lucius by now. The house-elves always retaliate, and you are calling yourself smart?" she taunted, finding her sister's predicament highly amusing. "Who knew the little buggers were that loyal?" she added thoughtfully.

"Besides, you weren't the only one living in luxury, you know. Rodolphus gives me anything I want. Unlike you, I am quite happy with my husband and don't need to sleep around the way you do. Did you know that you are known as a slut among the higher aristocrats? I don't think that was the kind of reputation our father wanted for you when he married you off to Malfoy."

"How dare you!" Narcissa hissed, rounding on her sister, her fingers extended like claws, and she wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug expression off Bella's face. Unfortunately, when it came to a cat fight, Bella would win since she fought much dirtier than Narcissa did. "Let me tell you, something, my _dear_ sister, I have friends, _important_ friends, who I am sure, are doing everything within their power to find and free me. Are you willing to bet that your 'friends' are doing the same?"

Bellatrix burst into laughter. "Yeah, I'm sure your _important_ friends are eager to get you back. The way you are forever showering them with money and gifts, why wouldn't they want you back? I'm sure they are missing your generosity by now, you have been here... how long?

"Face it, Cissa, you are a joke! A man shows you some kindness; that is, takes you to bed for a romp or two, and you are forever falling over yourself to show them how grateful you are. Didn't you know it is the male who is supposed to shower the female with gifts? But then, you were always backward and delighted in being 'different'," Bellatrix said, knowing just how to turn the knife to hurt the most.

"As if you know anything about the life I lead!" Narcissa snapped, starting to pant in her efforts to hold back her temper. "You are nothing but a Death Eater whore! Yes, you heard me! Everyone knows that you are spreading your legs for any follower of the Dark Lord who wants you!"

Bellatrix snorted. "Was that supposed to hurt my feelings? You have grown pathetic, Narcissa, you can't even insult worth a damn anymore. Unlike you, I have been faithful to my husband. I never needed to stray, and he, unlike your friends, knows how to treat a woman."

It was Narcissa's turn to snort.

Bellatrix regarded her with a raised eyebrow. "I have been showered with gifts; I have a lovely suite at the Lestrange Manor; I have more jewellery than I know what to do with; and I have several vaults filled with Galleons. Just because I have no interest in shining in polite society the way you do doesn't mean that the only thing I have to wear are my Death Eater robes. And unlike you, I haven't needed to service more men than I can count, so tell me, sister, who of the two of us has the better deal?" Bellatrix asked pointedly.

Narcissa glared, turned on her heel, and marched from the room.

"Thought so," Bellatrix said smugly and returned to her book, after selecting another piece of chocolate. If this kept up, she might actually learn to like the blasted things. She had never been overly fond of chocolates, something Narcissa was well aware off, which made eating box after box of the sweets endurable, just to see Narcissa fume in anger. Not that she blamed her; those lemon drops were vile.

HPDM

"Molly, what are you doing?" Arthur asked tiredly, pushing away from the doorjamb where he'd been leaning, observing his wife as she was furiously writing something down. She was surrounded with parchments, which were scattered across the tabletop, and as he walked closer, she was tossing her latest missive on top of the ever-growing pile.

"Not now, Arthur, I'm busy," Molly snapped, grabbing a new parchment, dipping her quill into the ink pot.

"I can see that, but with what?" Arthur asked, picking one of the papers up. Scanning it briefly, he groaned and sank heavily onto a chair. "Molly! You can't send Harry this!" he protested, looking over at his wife and realising with a start that he no longer understood her.

"Of course I can!" Molly snapped, never taking her eyes off her writing.

"Molly… Molly, look at me!" Arthur demanded, grasping her hands, ignoring the way she hissed when the ink splattered across the paper. "Molly, why do you hate Harry so much? What has he done to you, for you to turn on him like this?"

"Oh, Arthur, I've _told_ you-" Molly began saying with a heavy sigh.

"No, no, you haven't," Arthur broke in, a bit more harshly than he had meant to. "You have ranted, and raved, and you have cursed his name repeatedly this summer, but you have never told me what caused you to change your mind about him."

"Oh, Arthur, he will be the ruin of my family," Molly said, breaking down into sobs.

"The ruin of our family? Why would you think that? That boy has been nothing but good to us, until you turned your back on him, bringing Ron and Ginny with you."

"Good? Good? Arthur Weasley, I cannot believe you!" Molly cried, yanking her hands out of her husband's grasp. "Just look what he has done to my babies! He gave the twins all that money, causing them to skip school early, never even taking their N.E.W.T.s, for Merlin's sake! They will amount to nothing, Arthur, _nothing_, unless they get their act together and return to Hogwarts and retake their last year.

"And let's not forget the events at the Ministry at the end of last year. Harry Potter brought my children, _my children_, into battle against Death Eaters. _Death Eaters_, Arthur. He even went after my baby boy! How could he? This could have ruined his life!"

"Who are you talking about now?" Arthur demanded perplexed.

"Percy! Who else? It is because of Harry that Percy almost lost his job!"

Arthur snorted with contempt. "Percy refused to listen to reason and left this family in a huff months ago, Molly. He hasn't spoken to us since, unless it was with an official matter. He knew what he did was wrong, and he did it anyway. How can you defend his actions like that?

"And how can you be so blind towards the twins? It wasn't Harry who forced them out of Hogwarts; it was that bitch, Umbridge. You know, I don't think I will ever forgive Albus for abandoning the school the way he did . He never should have allowed that… _woman_ free reign of Hogwarts the way he did. You heard what the twins said, she would have had them _whipped_ if they stayed, for Merlin's sake. And you saw the memories Bill brought back! Dolores Umbridge isn't a Death Eater, but she might as well have been, the way she was acting, and Percy was well on his way to becoming just like her! I can only hope and pray that this entire mess has taught him a lesson, and to think a bit more before he acts," Arthur said, starting to get angry and upset with his wife's wilful blindness to facts.

"Percy is a sweet boy who would never do any of the things Umbridge did!" Molly spat, coming to her child's defence.

Arthur merely snorted, not agreeing in the least.

"You can't deny that Harry brought our children into battle last spring!" Molly cried, rounding on her husband with fire in her eyes.

"No, I do not deny that," Arthur said heavily. "But what you seem to have forgotten was that he was _tricked_."

"By a false vision, yes, I know. Really, he should have known better than to believe anything You Know Who does," Molly said with disdain.

"Have you already forgotten that it was such a vision that saved my life?" Arthur asked mildly, causing Molly to blush. "Have you also forgotten that it was Harry who saved Ginny when You Know Who was trying to use her to come back to life? The way I see it, Harry has done this family more good than bad over the past five years."

Molly snorted; still not ready to give up her vendetta against Harry. "That boy is a menace. Now that he has taken up with that Malfoy spawn, he will soon turn his back on his true friends, mark my words! Sirius was a Black, and no matter what Albus says, there's never been a decent wizard who has come from that family! I can't believe that he encouraged the relationship between those two! Furthermore-"

"Oh, Molly, Harry is nothing like Rosemary. That boy has a big heart, and he will always have time and love for those he cares about. Don't you think it is time for you to forgive your sister and move on, before she loses you even more?"

"How can you say that, Arthur? It wasn't Rosemary's fault, what happened! It was that damned Black!" Molly shrieked in outrage, flying out of her chair, her hair standing on end.

Watching his wife pace around the room, screaming and ranting, he realised that, on this matter, she would never budge. Molly was dead set on hating Harry, and nothing anyone did would ever change her mind. Sighing deeply, his heart heavy with sadness, Arthur got up from his own seat and retreated to the bedroom. He too would write a letter, to Lucius Malfoy. He owed it to give the man a warning, since he was now the one caring for Harry. Maybe he should write to Harry as well, telling him that while he may have lost Molly in his life, the boy hadn't lost him.

HPDM

Hermione Granger was pacing round and round in her stall, fuming. Now and then, she would lash out and kick one of the wooden walls surrounding her, venting her temper and allowing anyone near to know that she was not happy with her situation.

The stables. They had had the gall to put her in the _stables_. With only Hagrid for company. How dare they! She might like the half-giant, but that was not the point! The point was that she had been ruthlessly evicted from the castle and put into the stables. She! The smartest witch in school had been removed, as if she was some common animal! Just wait until the next time she saw that prat, Draco Malfoy. That slap she'd given him in third year would be _nothing_ compared to what she would do to him for doing this to her. Wanting to scream in anger and tear at her hair, Hermione did the only thing she could do, kick the walls hard, and repeatedly.

"Now there, 'Ermione, calm down, I 'aven't forgotten yeh," Hagrid said jovially, coming into view, his arms filled with sweet smelling hay. Ignoring the incredulous look the donkey was giving him, Hagrid proceeded to fill the hay net, chatting away as he did so. Next, he checked that the water supply before dumping the oats he'd brought with him into the trough. "There you go, this should hold you until tomorrow," Hagrid said cheerfully, looking around to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything.

Hermione finally found her vocal cords and brayed angrily, flapping her ears.

"Ah, don't worry, girl, I'm sure the hex will wear off real soon. You should 'ave known better though, I mean, even_ I_ know better than ter come between a Veela and their mate," Hagrid said, trying to scratch Hermione behind the ears.

In response, Hermione tried to bite him, but Hagrid was far too used to working with animals and easily moved his hand out of reach. "Now, now, yeh shouldn't try ter bite the hand that feeds you, not good politics, that, not good at all," he said with a chuckle, forgetting himself and slapping the donkey on the rump.

Hermione's eyes bulged, and she twirled around, trying to kick him. However, for such a large man, Hagrid could move swiftly, and her hoofs only hit wood, hard enough to jar her legs. Wincing slightly, Hermione moodily went to investigate the food, staring glumly at the hay.

She might _look_ like a donkey; however, her tastes were still all human, and she didn't think she could stomach eating either the dry grass or the oats. The question was, how was she supposed to inform anyone of that not so small fact? This wouldn't have happened if they had allowed her to stay in the castle! Then she could have found a way to inform someone of her predicament!

Hagrid was a loyal friend, but he wasn't very smart, so how was she supposed to communicate with him? This was all Harry's fault! Just wait until she got her hoofs, um, hands, on him! Oh, what she wouldn't give for some real food; she could _kill_ for some fried chicken, or maybe some well done steak. Or how about some of that delicious pasta the Malfoys had eaten that time?

Unable to face the things Hagrid considered suitable food, Hermione walked over to a corner, and with some difficulty, lay down. Curling up the best she could, she closed her eyes with a huff and proceeded to sulk. The next time Hagrid came anywhere near her, she would bite him, hard, and tell him just what she thought of him. Hay! Really! What did he think she was? Some animal!

HPDM

"Lucius, I've been meaning to ask you something," Harry said, fiddling with his quill.

Lucius looked up from where he was trying to decipher the comments he had scribbled down about the abilities of a group of fifth year Hufflepuffs. They had made their way down into Harry's trunk. Draco and Severus had happily gone in search of the potions lab, and the Veela had made sure to bring his cousin's journal, hoping to be able to talk

Severus into helping him brew the potion he and Harry needed to get back at Weasley and Pansy. Harry and Lucius had made themselves comfortable in the library, both of them determined to sort out the mess that was going to be the DA.

Seeing the serious look on the teen's face, Lucius put the papers down and turned his entire focus onto the boy. "Ask away," he said lightly, hoping to put a smile on Harry's face.

"Several times, you have mentioned the Veela court. Why didn't they step in and do something when you and Severus were young? I mean..." Harry trailed off, not sure how to broach the undoubtedly sensitive subject.

Lucius sighed softly; he had not seen that question coming, though considering Harry's warm heart, he probably should have. Reaching forward, he grasped the youth's hands before they could mangle the quill any further.

"Harry, by the time the court found out about our situation, it was too late."

Harry glanced up, a frown on his face. "But... I thought you managed to get word to your brother... Didn't he...?"

Lucius sighed again, tightening his grip when Harry tried to pull his hands away.

"I'm sorry. I had no right asking you, forget I said anything," Harry murmured miserably.

"No, Harry. You _do_ have a right to ask, in fact, you need to know what rights you and Draco have, according to the Veela court. It's just that... That is the one question I don't have an answer to. Yes, I did contact Mikhail, warning him to not to come home. I also implored him to get help.

"He obviously got my letter, since he didn't come home again. But he never sent word out to get me help. When I contacted the court myself, to find out why they hadn't come to our rescue, I was angered and dismayed to find out that they didn't know."

"Oh," Harry said softly, not sure what say. Gently, he turned his hands around so that he could grip Lucius' in a show of support. He felt saddened that Lucius had been abandoned by his own flesh and blood, and he felt incredibly angry with Mikhail, who had so callously left his brother to his fate, and for a fleeting moment, he felt glad that the man was already dead.

Lucius sat for a moment, lost in his thoughts, then he shook his head and returned to the present. "The representatives the court had sent after the fact could only confirm what my father had said, and that which my own senses told me. Narcissa was now my mate, all because she was carrying my child. They were _not_ happy with my father, let me tell you. Even though they had no way of breaking the bond, they did not allow my father to just walk away from what he had done."

"What did they do?" Harry asked with bated breath, intrigued by the small, satisfied smirk playing on Lucius' lips.

"They bound his powers," Lucius replied with relish. "Not only did they bind his Veela powers, but they blocked off a good portion of his wizard powers as well. When the Dark Lord found out, he flew into a rage, hexing Father so badly it took him months to recover. I think that is why he was so badly affected when he contracted the dragon pox. Too bad he didn't get them earlier; maybe he would have keeled over and died before he messed up all our lives."

Harry frowned. "Why would Riddle care if your father lost some of his powers or not? From what I have gathered, he doesn't like it when his followers are too powerful."

Lucius nodded in agreement. "Yes, normally that is quite true, but you see, Abraxas, due to his Veela blood, was rather unique. You have heard of the Veela allure of course," Lucius said, grinning slightly when Harry nodded his head. "Normally, when a Veela turns the allure on, they ensnare just about everyone around them, turning them into a drooling pile of goo with only one thought in their head, to get into the Veela's knickers.

"Father, however, could turn the allure into something else, something much more dangerous. It made him... charismatic. When he turned on the charm, he could talk anyone into just about anything. Many found themselves selling their souls to the devil, and they never managed to figure out how it had happened.

"I'm ashamed to say that my father ruined a lot of lives,other than mine and Severus'," Lucius said with a heavy sigh. "Which is why the Dark Lord flew into such a rage. He had lost his most potentially lethal weapon. He was also most displeased to find that I did not possess the same... talent."

"He would!" Harry said with a snort.

The two lapsed into a comfortable silence, both deep in thought.

"I think I finally know why Mikhail didn't send word to the Veela court," Lucius said eventually, startling Harry slightly with his unexpected words.

"Oh?"

"Yes. I think we safely can trace the reasons back to the _dear_ Cerise. It would also explain why Mikhail refused to touch that subject with me," Lucius sighed. Becoming lost in his memories, the blond aristocrat looked into a past only he could see.

"Cerise was two years older than Mikhail, and as she attended her last year at Beauxbatons, her eyes settled on him. She knew of our ancestry, of course, but apparently our name and wealth was enough for her to overlook that small detail," Lucius said somewhat bitterly.

"Mikhail never showed any interest in her. He was polite since he was best friends with two of her cousins, but that was all there was on his part. It was those cousins he was visiting when my life went to hell, by the way. My guess is that Cerise found out about his situation at home, and since he hadn't inherited the Veela blood, she wasted no time in talking to her father about Mikhail.

"Cerise came from a prestigious family, but time had eroded the magic and the wealth they once possessed. Marrying Mikhail, even though he was the younger brother, was quite a coup, and she wasted no time. From what I have managed to piece together, she immediately told my brother that he would be protected from Abraxas if he was married, especially if he married into a family who was prepared to stand up for him against Father." Lucius snorted with contempt. "Cerise's father wouldn't have stood a chance against Abraxas Malfoy if he had decided to fight them to get his son back. Fortunately for them, Father had enough problems as it was, and then he died, leaving them all alone.

"But by then the two had already been married, and it didn't take long before Cerise was pregnant with their first child. Veela or not, Mikhail was far too honourable to leave her after she had produced his firstborn child, and the two stayed together, living at Malfoy Cottage."

Harry listened carefully to the sad tale, analysing the things that Lucius had and hadn't said. "She sounds like a true bitch!" he stated with conviction. "And your brother doesn't sound much better. Still, I suppose I can sympathise with him, since he was probably reeling from the shock. I bet he hadn't made any contingency plans of any kind in case your father should suddenly turn on him. Slytherin or not, _Malfoy_ or not, he wasn't expecting something like this," Harry mused with a sigh. How many other lives had been ruined due to ambition and the Dark Lord?

"No, he wasn't," Lucius agreed with a sad smile. "Mikhail was always the idealist, the... dreamer of the two of us. He always had such an optimistic view of the world; always sure everything would work out for the best somehow, in the end. He never stood a chance against either Father or Cerise. I just..." Lucius trailed off; surprised he had revealed so much to Harry. Not even his son knew about this.

Harry smiled slightly; giving the hands he was still holding a light squeeze. "What will happen to her now?"

"The Aurors have her in custody, and I am sure they have subjected her to a harsh interrogation. She has already admitted to committing murder, so they will not go easy on her; her family connections will not be able to save her this time. Furthermore, Mercury will contact the Veela court and tell them what has happened. I know they will not look kindly upon this whole mess.

"I also believe that they will look into the situation with Jason. The Veela community is a very close one, and they keep close tabs on everyone with even the smallest amount of Veela blood in them. I am sure they will find out as quickly as they can who Jason truly is, and if possible, reunite him with his true family."

Harry nodded his head, happy for the other boy. He only hoped that he, unlike Harry, still had family alive somewhere. Shaking his head, doing his best to shrug off the gloomy atmosphere, Harry glanced over at Lucius from under his lashes. "There was something else I wanted to talk to you about," he admitted shyly, piquing Lucius' interest.

"What do you wish to talk about, Loveling?"

"Umm... I read that it is customary for the Veela to give their mate a gift once they have bonded," Harry began hesitantly, gaining confidence from Lucius' encouraging nod. "I read that it is often some kind of custom-made jewellery, and I was thinking... Would you like to have the opal we found in that trunk?" he said in a rush, chewing on his lover lip, worried that other man would take offence.

For a moment, Lucius had no idea what Harry was talking about, and then he remembered. The opal he had been toying with, and that he hardly had been able to put away. The stone had been talking to him, and yes, it would be perfect for Severus. "I can't accept such a valuable gift, Harry," Lucius protested, thought it hurt having to say no to the teen. He also felt ashamed because the matter of the bonding gift had totally slipped his mind. Some Veela he was!

Harry snorted. "Of course you can. Haven't you showered me with things since I got together with Draco? What is the difference with me offering you something that would please you? It wasn't exactly as if it cost me a fortune! Besides, I _want_ you to have it. Consider it my bonding gift to you?"

"Harry, I haven't showered you with things, as you put it," Lucius protested.

"No? Haven't you practically showered me with clothes? And what about the sweet shop and the expedition? And don't think I haven't forgotten about the farms! You know very well that I was only planning on buying one farmstead now and waiting with the rest until I had access to my money," Harry said, overruling whatever the blond was about to say.

It was Lucius' turn to snort. "The clothes were a necessity. I simply could not allow you to continue wearing those rags you were walking around in. The sweet shop is a sound investment, and you know it, as is the expedition you are planning. Besides, if I hadn't supported you on that one, Severus would have. As for the farms... the sooner you get the seeds into the ground, the sooner my mate will be happy, and anything that makes my mate happy is worth a lot more than the small sum I put up for those places," Lucius said with a sniff in disdain.

Harry laughed, and in a move that surprised both himself and his companion, he got up from his chair, walked around the table, and wrapped his arms around broad shoulders as he gave Lucius a tight hug. "It is still far more than anyone else has ever done for me, and you know it! Why won't you accept that someone wants to do something for you? I _want_ to give you that opal. If you don't want it, fine, I will accept that, but only if you tell me what you really feel. None of this 'thank you but I shouldn't' crap."

"Language, Harry," Lucius admonished him out of habit. Then, he added in a soft voice, "And I thank you. Severus will look wonderful with that opal around his throat."

Harry tightened his arm around Lucius' neck for a moment, before releasing him altogether. "He would, wouldn't he? Not to mention that he would be the envy of everyone who saw him."

"That thought never entered my mind," Lucius said haughtily, causing Harry to burst into laughter.

"So, do you have a design in mind?" Harry asked once he was back in his seat again.

"No. I take it you do?"

"Well, the matter has occupied my mind now and then," Harry admitted shyly, worried that he had offended the older man. But Lucius just smiled and wanted to know what ideas Harry had come up with. Soon, the DA was forgotten, as the two lost themselves in possible designs and discussions of what charms should be put on the necklace to ensure the Potions Master's safety.

HPDM

Later that night, after the boys had retired, Lucius sat in his temporary suite toying with the opal, marvelling at the purity of the stone. Glancing down at one of the designs Harry had come up with, he just knew that that was the necklace he wanted his mate to wear. Determined to visit his favourite jeweller in the morning to set things into motion -- there truly wasn't much time left before Saturday -- Lucius couldn't help but feel awed at the generosity and kindness Harry had displayed tonight.

Despite the fact that they had been bitter enemies only weeks ago. Despite the fact that Severus had been a total git towards Harry for the past five years, the youth still had taken time out from his hectic life and came up with a design for a piece of jewellery meant for a man he had positively hated. How many other sixteen-year-olds would have done that? No, Harry was unique, and Lucius couldn't have been happier about the fact that it was his son who had snagged the boy before anyone else could.

Taking a sip from his wineglass, Lucius returned his attention to the opal he was still toying with. Making up his mind, he put his glass down and summoned a quill and some paper. It was time to make sure that his _own_ son had a claiming to look forward to. It was long past time to write to the Elven king. Lucius could only hope the man would be fair and allow the bonding between the two boys.

If he didn't... Then the Elves would be in need of a new king before long. Lucius would not allow anything to stand in the way for his son, not even a king.

HPDM

In another part of the castle, Severus Snape was also pondering the youth that was Harry Potter. The image of Draco dressed as a baby kept popping into his mind, and the Potions Master had a hard time not bursting into laughter each time it happened. Although the image was hilarious, he would get nothing done if he kept laughing like some silly schoolgirl.

Draco would probably not agree with him, but Severus was actually heartened to see that Harry was relaxed enough around his godson not to be constantly on alert. Having had some time to think about it, Severus didn't think Harry had truly lost control of his magic that time, but rather the opposite. Harry was comfortable enough around the Malfoys to risk being himself.

If what the boy had said was true, and the Sorting Hat had wanted to put him in Slytherin, then Harry Potter was not the epitome of all things Gryffindor, which was what he had caused everyone to think. However, to fit in so well amongst the rash and foolish Gryffindors, he would have had to suppress a large part of who he truly was.

If Harry truly was a mix of snake and lion, then he couldn't have chosen worse friends than Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. The youngest Weasley male was _not_ known for his tolerance of anything Slytherin, and Granger would probably have wanted to dissect him, to find out what made Harry Potter tick. The girl had already, during their fifth year, shown a disturbing tendency to mother the boy, demanding to know about everything that went on in his life. No, she would not deal well with such a revelation.

Draco, on the other hand, now that the two weren't fighting anymore, would be well able to deal with a boy who was a mixture of the two houses. If anything, he would never be bored, too busy trying to figure out what his mate would do next.

Severus chuckled, shaking his head. No, bored was not something you risked becoming while being around Harry Potter. Frustrated, furious, tender, loving, awed, those were but a few of the emotions the boy awoke in others, but not bored.

Running a hand through his hair, Severus turned his mind to the business at hand. Why had the Dreamless Sleep potion failed? Marching over to where Helga was sitting on a blanket talking animatedly with Godric, Severus posed that very question to the witch.

"It failed, you say? And Harry was pulled into Draco's Veela dream? How very peculiar! I wonder why?" Helga mused. "I have never heard of anything like this happening before. Then again, the Elves Rowena and I knew weren't mated to a Veela, only to other Elves or humans. I wonder..."

"Then again, there _has_ been a few changes to the potion since our time," Salazar said, having come over to listen to the discussion. "The potion doesn't contain anything that is harmful to an Elf, but who knows what unknown side affects there are? Especially if you add a Veela to the mix. They are magical beings as well, and if you have two as powerful youngsters as Harry and Draco..." Slytherin trailed off; there were just too many unknowns.

"Wonderful!" Severus remarked. "Lucius better write that letter and soon, before we inadvertently do something that cannot be fixed."

"I wouldn't worry too much if I were you," Godric said cheerfully. "Things always work out in the end."

Salazar snorted. "They do if you have a Slytherin and a Ravenclaw at your side," he muttered darkly. "Remember the incident with the silver dragon? And the group of Basilisks? Not to mention the time we were overrun with Ashwinders?" Salazar asked pointedly.

Godric just waved his complaints aside. "The dragon went on her merry way, and if it hadn't been for the Basilisks, you wouldn't have gained that pet of yours, and as for the Ashwinders-"

"Boys, we don't have time for one of your longwinded, not to mention pointless, arguments," Rowena said sternly, although her lips were twitching. "I agree with you, Severus, you need to contact the current king, and as soon as possible."

* * *

**A/N:** _Sighs heavily_. My apologies, it seems like the hickey scene is in the next chapter. Blame it on the stress of having the computer crashing on me. To compensate, here is a small sneak peek on next week, I hope you enjoy it.

"Draco Malfoy, I can't believe you!" Harry's voice rang out from the bathroom a while later. The two boys had finally managed to separate from each other and gotten out of bed to prepare for the new day.

Harry had stumbled into his shower, his mind still spinning with the wonder of the thoughtful gift Draco had given him. He would have to think of something equally beautiful and amazing to give the other boy, but what? Mechanically Harry washed himself, too busy worrying about his gift to pay much attention to what he was doing.

It wasn't until he was standing before the mirror, attending to his teeth that Harry noted the prominent love bite on his neck. Choking, he could only stare dumbly at his reflection. It was only as he reached up and gingerly touched it that he came out of his stupor.

Grumbling under his breath, Harry was torn between outrage and tenderness. On one hand it was a memory of their dream together, and on the other hand he couldn't believe that Draco had marked him in such a manner. He would have to wear a turtle neck today if he was to hide that thing. And there was no way, _no way_, he was walking around school displaying _that_ for everyone to see.

"You called?" Draco asked from the doorway, his voice laced with amusement and a touch of trepidation.

"You prat!" Harry said, stalking over towards the Veela. "I can't believe you did that!"

"Are you truly upset with me?" Draco asked quietly, trying to gauge his mate's feelings.

Harry looked at him for a moment, and then he ruefully shook his head. "No, not really. No wonder you couldn't keep away from my neck! Just know this, Draco Malfoy, next time it will be _you_ needing a turtle neck!" Harry stated, giving the other boy a quick kiss. Humming under his breath, feeling surprisingly cheerful all of a sudden, Harry sauntered over to his wardrobe, suddenly very aware that he was only wearing a towel.


	51. New Resolve

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter, JKR does.

* * *

_**New Resolve **_

_**Tuesday Sep 17**_

Draco woke up first the next morning, and he enjoyed the feeling of Harry sleeping so trustingly in his arms. Taking a deep breath, he enjoyed the aroma that filled his nostrils, that enticing smell that spelled 'mate' to him. Shifting his position slightly, Draco moved until he was able to bury his face in Harry's neck, the better position to breathe him in. He was also able to see the mark he had left there the previous day, and Draco felt rather smug about that mark.

However, it also told him that whatever happened in their dream world would carry over to the real world, which meant that he would have to be more careful from now on. It wouldn't do to scare Harry like he did yesterday. His mate might be able to forgive him once, but Draco didn't think Harry would be so forgiving a second time. Then again, there might not actually be a second time, unless Harry felt like experimenting with Dreamless Sleep potions.

"I can feel your brain working, you know. What are you thinking about, love?" Harry asked, stretching his body much as a cat does. Or rather, he would have if it were not for Draco being draped all over him.

"Good morning to you too, beautiful. I was thinking of our dream yesterday," Draco replied, kissing Harry's neck, hitting his love bite kind of sort of accidentally on purpose.

Harry snickered. "I bet you did. Was wonderful though, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was," Draco said somewhat wistfully. "Do you think you'll feel like drinking some Dreamless Sleep again sometime soon?" Draco asked hopefully, gauging Harry's reactions carefully.

Harry stilled as he thought the proposal over carefully, then he rolled over, dislodging the blond from his back. "Do I really need to drink some potion down first, Draco?" he asked solemnly, looking intently into silvery eyes.

Draco blinked, and then he broke into a beaming smile. "You mean that?"

Harry smiled tenderly. "Yes, I do. But nothing heavy, just..."

"Just kissing and stuff. Believe me, Harry, I understand. I can wait. Besides, what we did yesterday was hotter than anything I have ever experienced before, so it isn't exactly as if I'd mind taking it slow," Draco admitted with a soft snort.

"Then come here," Harry murmured, wrapping his arms around Draco's neck and pulling him close.

"Wait!" Draco said urgently and fished around for his wand. Finding it, he swiftly cast a couple of mouth refreshers before eagerly bending down for that kiss.

Harry moaned with pleasure, certain that he would never tire of Draco's kisses. They made his blood sing, and he arched up in an attempt to get that body closer. Draco was only too happy to comply, and the two boys spent several minutes happily kissing and running their fingers through silky soft hair.

Then Draco remembered, and he gently disentangled himself from Harry's firm grasp. "Wait, love, I have something for you," he panted once he could speak again. A determined Harry was indeed a force to be reckoned with.

When Draco's words penetrated the lust-filled fog, Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "A gift? But I don't have anything to give you," he complained sorrowfully.

"You have already given me the most wonderful and precious gift in the world, beautiful, your love."

Harry couldn't help but blush at the heat in Draco's eyes. There was no doubt that the other boy had meant every word he'd said.

"Wait here, I'll be right back," Draco promised, bounding out of the bed. Looking around the room, it didn't take the blond long to find his robe, and he hurried over to it and began searching the pockets. With a crow of delight, he carefully extracted the item he had been looking for. "Close those gorgeous eyes of yours, Harry," he ordered, glancing over his shoulder to make sure that Harry couldn't see what he was doing.

Harry opened his mouth, but then he smiled and did as ordered. He trusted Draco with his life; closing his eyes for a moment wouldn't hurt him, and it would make the Veela happy.

"Here, this is for you," Draco said, placing something into Harry's hands.

Harry opened his eyes, and then his jaw hit the floor. In his hands was the most exquisite flower he had ever seen. On a fragile looking stem, as long as his forearm, were five blooming lilies. On several of the petals lay dewdrops, and Harry got the impression that if he shook the stem in the slightest, those dewdrops would fall. Which was impossible since the flower was made of wood so pale that it looked white.

"Wow!" Harry whispered, feeling overwhelmed by the wonderful gift. "Draco, it is amazing. I... I don't know what to say," Harry murmured, unaware of the tears spilling down his cheeks.

"Your expression has said it all, beautiful," Draco murmured, pulling his mate into a tender hug.

"I... Why? I mean, don't think I am complaining or anything, because I'm not! But Draco, that must have taken some magic to do! Are you alright? Do you need more rest? I can't believe-"

Draco shut him up with a tender kiss. "Believe it, lovely, believe it. I did it last night, just for you. Severus was with me and he checked my levels afterwards. I am fine, better than fine, in fact."

"I still can't believe it," Harry murmured, running a gentle finger down one of the petals. The lily looked so _alive_, it was practically speaking to him.

Draco smiled indulgently, happy his gift had been so well received, knowing he had done the right thing. Leaning forward, he carefully removed the flower from Harry's fingers and placed it above the wooden disk he had created and charmed along with the lily. For a moment, the sculpture just hung there, and then it began to slowly rotate, showing off the flower from all sides.

Sitting back on the bed, Draco grasped Harry's hands, tugging on one of them gently to regain his mate's attention. "I made that lily for you, Harry, and it comes with a promise."

"A promise?" Harry echoed, not understanding what the Veela was trying to say.

"Yes, a promise. I remember, you see, I remember the look of joy on your face when you got that blasted bouquet with roses."

Harry blushed and ducked his head, but Draco didn't allow him to hide. Placing a finger under the delicate chin, he urged Harry's head back up until they could look each other in the eyes.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, or whatever it is you think you are to be feeling. That Portkey business, it is behind us now. But it made me realise something. It made me realise that I was not fulfilling my role as your mate."

Harry opened his mouth to protest, his green eyes taking on a stubborn gleam.

Draco held up a hand, halting the words. "Harry, as a Veela, it is my duty to spoil you rotten. That includes wooing you, making you feel loved and cherished. I love you, more and more each day, and I want to make you happy. I _want_ to shower you with gifts, and flowers, and stuff. I want to show you just how much you mean to me.

"I should have done this from day one, but I was still too unsure then. I wasn't sure of who you were, and how you would react to having a Malfoy for your mate," Draco said, ignoring the way Harry's eyes narrowed in annoyance. This was too important, and it needed to be said to avoid misunderstandings along the way. Pansy would have gobbled the gifts up, always demanding more. And she would have certainly demanded more expensive things than a wooden lily, no matter how well made, and no matter how much love had gone into its creation. Pansy just did not understand the importance of the small things in life. Harry on the other hand, didn't care much about how expensive a gift was, as long as it came from the heart.

"I made that lily as a token of my dedication to you. And also as a marker for the new level of understanding I can now sense between us. Will you accept it, and will you accept my wish to court you?" Draco asked, feeling extremely open and vulnerable.

Harry could only stare at the Veela. _No one_ had ever cared about him this much before, and he wasn't sure how to respond. He was pretty sure there was some kind of etiquette procedure that was to be followed at times like this.

Then he saw the loving look in Draco's eyes, and Harry threw caution to the wind. With a soft, happy laugh, he launched himself forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Draco's neck. "You stupid, _wonderful_ prat," Harry whispered in the nearest ear. "I love you! I love the flower you made me, and I'm sure that I will love whatever else you give me. Just... Don't take it too far over the top, alright? And this wooing thing better go both ways!" he added, pulling back so he could look sternly into Draco's eyes.

Draco blinked, since that was not the reaction he had expected, then again, this was Harry. "Beautiful, that is not how things are done," he said nevertheless, wanting to make his mate understand that he was under no obligation to reciprocate

Harry merely glared at him.

"But if you feel that strongly about it, then I would be happy to accept your wish to court me," Draco added with a slight gulp. No way did he want Harry angry with him. Besides, he loved presents, and if Harry wanted to spoil him, he was more than welcome.

"Thank you, Draco, I knew you would see things my way," Harry said smugly.

Draco blinked, then he laughed, and then he proceeded to kiss the breath out of his cheeky mate.

HPDM

"Draco Malfoy! I can't believe you!" Harry's voice rang out from the bathroom a while later. The two boys had finally managed to separate and had gotten out of bed to prepare for the new day.

Harry had stumbled into his shower, his mind still spinning with the wonder at the thoughtful gift Draco had given him. He would have to think of something equally beautiful and amazing to give the other boy, but what? Mechanically, Harry washed himself, too busy worrying about his gift to pay much attention to what he was doing.

It wasn't until he was standing before the mirror, attending to his teeth that Harry noticed the prominent love bite on his neck. Choking, he could only stare dumbly at his reflection. It was only as he reached up and gingerly touched it that he came out of his stupor.

Grumbling under his breath, Harry was torn between outrage and tenderness. On one hand, it was a memory of their dream together, and on the other hand, he couldn't believe that Draco had marked him in such a manner. "You called?" Draco asked from the doorway, his voice laced with amusement and a touch of trepidation.

"You prat!" Harry said, stalking over towards the Veela. "I can't believe you did that!"

"Are you truly upset with me?" Draco asked quietly, trying to gauge his mate's feelings.

Harry looked at him for a moment, and then he shook his head ruefully. "No, not really. No wonder you couldn't keep away from my neck. Just know this, Draco Malfoy, next time it will be _you_ needing a turtleneck!" Harry murmured, giving the other boy a quick kiss. Humming under his breath, feeling surprisingly cheerful all of a sudden, Harry sauntered over to his wardrobe, suddenly very aware that he was only wearing a towel.

Draco blinked his eyes, coming out of his daze. It was his turn to growl under his breath as he watched his mate move so enticingly away from him. Fighting down the urge to pounce, the blond turned around and stalked back to his own bedroom to finish dressing, pleased that Harry was happy with him and not upset for marking him like that. Shivering with anticipation, he couldn't wait for Harry to make good on his promise. But first he needed to get dressed and face a new day filled with annoying prats. Eyeing his wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear, Draco began plotting what to give Harry next.

In his bedroom, Harry was doing the same. In the end, he just sighed and reached in a hand and grabbed the first leather he touched. Opening his eyes, he eyed the forest green leather with a lifted eyebrow.

Shrugging his shoulders, Harry took them out and pulled on the trousers. Changing a pair of black knee high boots to green, only a shade darker than the leather, Harry slipped them on as well, tucking the trousers inside the bootlegs. Straightening, he turned his attention to the turtlenecks.

He swiftly discarded the ones in silver; he wasn't about to leave the suite dressed as a Slytherin. He was still a Gryffindor, and rather proud of that fact. He also discarded the ones in black. Vacillating in an almost embarrassing manner, Harry finally settled for one in a yellow so pale it almost looked white. Feeling pleased with his choice, Harry swiftly finished getting dressed. Replacing the glamour, he grabbed his book bag and went into the living room to wait for Draco.

When the Veela turned up, Harry wolf-whistled in appreciation. Draco had picked his grey outfit, finishing it off with a poet shirt made of a pale blue silk, bringing out the fairness of his hair and the silver of his eyes very nicely.

Harry moaned theatrically. "I will be fighting them off with a stick! Couldn't you have picked something a little less appealing?" he mock begged, sending Draco a puppy dog look.

Draco merely chuckled and walked over to Harry, giving him a loving kiss. "Look who is talking, Mr Sexy, if anyone will have to fight them off, it will be me," he added somewhat ruefully.

"Don't worry, Draco, there is only one boy for me," Harry said reassuringly. Bending down to pick up his bag, he added mischievously, "Girls, now that is a totally different matter."

Draco looked at Harry in shock, stunned that the other boy had actually made a joke like that. Then he narrowed his eyes he narrowed his eyes, not about to allow his mate to talk about others, even in jest, and said, "You are _mine_, Harry Potter, and you better remember that!"

"Ah, but you know what a bad memory I have. Professor Snape has only been complaining about it since first year," Harry said innocently, sending him a flirtatious look with laughing green eyes.

"Why you!" Draco growled, stalking his prey. Harry merely laughed and darted out the door, Draco hot in pursuit.

The chase didn't stop until they were outside the Great Hall, where Draco was finally allowed to capture the other boy. Panting, he noted, "Boy, are you fit! I thought it was only on a broom that you could move, but it seems you are capable of it on the ground as well."

Harry blushed and laughed at the same time, but didn't make any comments, not wanting to drag the mood down. Instead, he leaned forward, wrapped his arms around Draco's neck and whispered a soft, "I love you," before giving him a kiss.

Draco marvelled at the new level of intimacy between them, and he couldn't help but wonder what else had changed between them, and if the dream they had shared was the only reason for this change. Determined to talk to Harry about it later, Draco pushed the matter aside for now and enjoyed the kiss.

Reluctantly, he broke away when breathing became an issue. "I would love to stand here and do that all day, beautiful, but we need to get inside and eat our breakfast."

Harry made a face, and reluctantly took a step back, effectively breaking the embrace. "Yeah, don't remind me," he sighed unhappily. "I can only hope that they will keep away today. Surely, after what happened to both Bones and Granger, the student body has learned its lesson, right?" he asked hopefully.

"If they haven't, it will be my pleasure to show them until they do learn," Draco said with relish, a gleam appearing in his eyes.

Feeling his good mood return, Harry gave Draco a quick peck on the lips before turning towards the doors and the people waiting on the other side. "Show time!" he whispered, and pulled one of the doors open.

HPDM

"Someone woke up in a good mood today," Neville said in greeting as the two boys settled on the other side of the table.

"Yep, we have agreed to court each other," Harry said cheerfully, transferring a stack of pancakes to his plate. Fortunately, there was no pictures plastered on the bottom of it this morning.

Neville blinked before glancing over at Malfoy, who looked to be in a cheerful mood as well. "Ummm, Harry? Not that it is any of my business, but you are aware that normally only one of you does the courting, right?"

Harry shrugged, asking Ginny to pass the raspberry jam. "Yeah, but that seems a bit unfair to me. I mean, Draco is doing this because he loves me, right? Well, I happen to love him as well, so why shouldn't I show him by giving him gifts as well?" Harry asked. To him, it was quite logical and nothing to argue about.

Neville opened his mouth, and then he paused. "When you put it that way..."

"Yeah, and that is why I'm not arguing with him," Draco said in amusement, grinning at Neville's attempt to come up with a logical reason for why Harry couldn't do this. "Besides, who am I to say no to a gift or two?"

"And here I thought the Veela was supposed to be the one buying the gifts," Zachary Smith said snidely, clearly only having heard the last few words of the conversation. "But that is just like you, isn't it, Malfoy? You only know how to take, you have no idea how to give, and you certainly doesn't have a clue as how to treat someone like Harry here."

Draco slowly turned around to face this new threat, only he moved too slowly. Harry was already standing up and was getting into Smith's face. "And you think you do? Funny, but since last year you did just about anything you could to shoot me down. You made it _very_ clear that you were only a member of the DA because Umbridge was such a worthless teacher, and now you profess to love me? I don't think so! What you love is Harry Potter. What will happen the next time the _Daily Prophet_ prints something unkind about me? Or when the next nasty rumour starts to circulate about me? Yeah, I do remember second year _very_ clearly, so why don't you head back to your friends and leave me and Draco alone, huh?" Harry said with a snarl.

Zachary looked startled for a moment. It was evident he hadn't expected to fight with Harry. Then he sneered. "What's the matter, Malfoy, not _man_ enough to fight your own battles?"

Harry shook his head and pulled his wand, causally hexing the other boy before anyone could move.

Smith stood there,frozen, then he screamed, impressing everyone in the Great Hall with the high notes he was hitting.

Draco snickered and came to stand behind Harry, wrapping his arms around him and resting his chin on Harry's shoulder. "What did you do to him?" he asked with curiosity.

Harry shrugged. "Oh, not much. I just figured that someone as frighteningly stupid as that shouldn't have children."

"You didn't!" Draco breathed, fighting the urge to make sure his own package was still in place and undamaged.

Harry craned his neck so he could look at the blond. "Yep, sure did," he said with unholy glee.

It proved to be too much for the blond, and he dropped his head onto Harry's shoulder, laughing helplessly.

"Mr. Potter!" McGonagall stated with disapproval, marching over to the three boys. "Forty points from Gryffindor!"

"Hey, he had it coming!" Harry protested, feeling offended. "Draco warned everyone yesterday to stay the hell away from us. Did anyone listen? No. So, we are taking things in our own hands. We will continue to hex people or send them into the lake until they get the message and leave us alone. I happen to love Draco, and I have no intention of going off with anyone else, thank you very much!" Harry said, glaring at the closest students, making his point quite clear.

Ignoring the blubbering boy, and the professors who were trying to comfort him, Harry turned back to the Gryffindor table and his cooling breakfast.

Draco just shook his head and retook his seat as well. Leaning forward, he grasped Harry's chin and turned his head so he could give him a heated kiss. "Thank you, my hero," he said, fluttering his eyelashes demurely.

Harry's laugh rang out across the room, causing many to start. Never before had they heard such a happy, carefree sound from the Boy Who Lived, and several began to re-evaluate his relationship with Draco Malfoy. Maybe the Veela wasn't so bad for him after all.

"Please tell me that hex isn't permanent," Ginny begged of Harry once Draco had released him. From the laughter still dancing in her eyes, Harry knew she wasn't upset with him.

"Nah, would I do that to a fellow male?" Harry asked innocently before growing serious. "The hex isn't permanent, but it may take up to a week for it to wear off unless Pomfrey happens to have the right potions on hand."

"You, Mister, are evil! Served him right though, I mean, what idiot walks up to the two of you, ready for a fight, I might add, and doesn't expect to be hexed or worse?"

Harry shrugged, not particularly interested in the subject anymore. He was more interested in filling his far too empty stomach. "Hey, why should Draco have all the fun, hexing every idiot insulting us?" he asked innocently. The others didn't have an answer to that, and soon the conversation drifted over to other subjects.

At the Head Table sat Albus Dumbledore, fuming. How dare Harry hex a fellow student so causally? And where in Merlin's name had he learned of that hex? The boy was going Dark, and at a swifter rate than Dumbledore had thought possible. He needed to find a way to separate the two of them, and quickly. Who would have thought that Harry Potter would chose to turn his back on his parents and their sacrifice? What in Merlin's name had Draco Malfoy done to Harry to sway him so thoroughly? Staring moodily into his tea, the Headmaster thought of the things he would say to Harry that night while he was in detention. Hopefully, he would manage to be alone with the boy -- for once!

HPDM

The rest of the day went by surprisingly swiftly, not to mention peacefully. Only now, when the students no longer crowded them in the hallways, did Harry realise just how _close_ the others had been, and how Draco and he had never been alone unless they managed to sneak away. But why should he need to sneak around the corridors of Hogwarts? Especially when he was trying to move from one class to another? Shaking his head with exasperation, Harry could only hope that the message had been received this time, and that he and Draco would be forever spared the idiocy of others.

Then he glowered; speaking of idiocy of others, what was up with Dumbledore? The Headmaster had practically shoved Draco down Harry's throat, and when Harry played nice and made friends with the Malfoys, then the man had the gall to moan and complain about it! If the Headmaster kept this up, then Harry would truly give the man something to moan about, and it would involve more than a few annoying suits of armour!

"What's wrong, beautiful?" Draco asked, draping an arm around Harry's shoulders. He was fairly sure he could guess, since they were on their way to McGonagall's office for Harry's detention, but he knew from experience not to take Harry for granted.

"Albus Dumbledore," Harry muttered darkly. "I just don't understand that man these days."

Draco couldn't help but snigger. "I have a feeling he is saying exactly the same thing about you, lovely."

"Why are you calling me that?" Harry asked, glancing up at the Veela.

"Do you mind that I do?" Draco countered, feeling pretty certain of this answer as well.

"No, not really," Harry said slowly. "But I've already told you, several times, as a matter of fact, that if anyone is beautiful, it is _you_, not me."

"I know," Draco replied simply. "And as I have told _you_ several times, I do not agree with you. So, what better way to wear you down and make you start seeing things my way than to constantly remind you by calling you beautiful?" Draco asked, doing his best to look innocent.

"You know, I bet that look hasn't worked since you were five," Harry said with a soft chuckle. "You are far too much of a Slytherin to pull off that look effectively."

Draco smiled ruefully, "You can't blame me for trying."

"No. And I don't mind, you look cute when you do that," Harry admitted with a loving expression on his face that was only slightly ruined by the laughter lurking in the back of his eyes.

"I do not do _cute_!" Draco stated forcefully, causing Harry to burst into giggles.

"I hate to burst your bubble, love, but you so do cute," Harry protested, easily dodging the tickle attack aimed at his ribs.

"I will get you for that, Potter," Draco threatened playfully.

"You can try, Malfoy," Harry challenged right back.

The gauntlet thrown down, both boys took off down the hallway, laughing and calling out threats, causing quite a few heads to turn.

HPDM

"How nice of you to join me, gentlemen," McGonagall said wryly as the two teenagers burst through the door to her office two minutes before designated time.

"Hello, Professor," Harry replied cheerfully, collapsing into a seat. He felt much better now, after his friendly tussle with Draco.

"Mr. Malfoy, I was unaware that you had earned yourself a detention," McGonagall said with a smile, happy to see the two boys looking so carefree. It was definitely a first, and she couldn't help but feel heartened to see them acting so cheerfully together.

"No, but the things you do for love, Madam," Draco said dramatically, leaning forward and wrapping his arms around his chuckling mate.

"Quite," McGonagall said dryly. "Well, then, Mr. Malfoy, I suggest you busy yourself with a book, unless you thought to bring your homework with you?"

Draco lifted an eyebrow at the abrupt change in the woman's demeanour and shook his head.

"Feel free to borrow one of mine," McGonagall said, waving towards a bookcase that was standing against the far wall.

Quirking an eyebrow at Harry, Draco did as he was bid, not wanting to risk being booted out the door. He was not about to leave Harry alone, not even with one of the professors.

"Right then, Mr. Potter, I have read through the book, and I must say it is a most thrilling concept."

"You've read it already?" Harry asked in surprise.

"Indeed I did, Mr. Potter. Pepper-Ups can truly do wonders for you," McGonagall replied, smiling when Harry burst into laughter.

"So, what do you think?" Harry asked eagerly once his amusement was back under control, and he began to bounce slightly in his seat.

"I think you have stumbled upon something truly wondrous. I hope you don't mind, but I would like to conduct an experiment on a much larger scale than what you have proposed."

"Oh?" Harry asked, trying to look clueless. The twin snorts from Draco and McGonagall told him he had failed miserably. Chuckling, he flashed the professor a smile. "The thought had occurred to me," he admitted, not sounding apologetic in the least.

McGonagall gave him a knowing look but didn't comment. "With some coaching, I believe that the entire school will be able to take part in this. It would certainly help us cover just about every aspect possible. Does the type of love lavished on the animal matter? A young child tends to pay more attention to their pets than an older teenager does. Then again, the older you are, the more power you have to put into your spellwork; does that play a part in the process? And what about-"

"Ah, Minerva, I apologise for disturbing you, but I wanted to exchange a few words with Harry here before the detention begins," Dumbledore said cheerfully, barging into the office.

McGonagall pressed her lips together in annoyance. "Really, Albus, couldn't this wait? Mr. Potter and I are in the middle of a rather important discussion," she said somewhat waspishly, causing Albus to blink.

"I'm sorry, Minerva, I will keep things quick," he said, not wanting to get on his deputy's bad side. It wasn't well known, but the Transfigurations teacher could hold a grudge worse than Severus Snape if she wanted to.

"What was it you wanted, Headmaster?" Harry asked with a sigh. He was getting awfully tired of the old man always popping up and ruining his fun.

"I was concerned about the hex you used in the Great Hall this morning," Albus said gravely, looking at Harry over his half-moon glasses, attempting to subtly use Legilimency to gauge Harry's feelings.

"What of it?" Harry asked, looking away from the blue eyes and down at his hands, feeling the other wizard's attempt to sneak into his mind. That was a first, and Harry couldn't help but wonder if Dumbledore was slipping up, or if it was his heritage that once more was coming to his aid.

"Harry, you can't just hex the other students-"

"Why not? He was attacking Draco," Harry cut in, not about to apologise anytime soon for his actions. "Besides, it isn't permanent, unfortunately. Smith's bits should reappear in a few day's time."

"Harry, that isn't a valid excuse to hex someone," Dumbledore chided gently.

"Why not? Because Draco is a Veela? Tell me, sir, if Smith had badmouthed Ginny, and she was my girlfriend, wouldn't you have applauded my actions then?"

Dumbledore opened his mouth, then he paused. "But this incident didn't involve Miss Weasley, now did it? Draco is a Veela, and according to the Veela law, he has a lot of leeway when it comes to defending his mate. However, this does not allow you to-"

Harry snorted, not caring that he had interrupted the older man yet again. "This has _nothing_ to do with the fact that Draco Malfoy is a Veela!" he stated hotly, starting to get really annoyed with the Headmaster. "This is about the fact that Draco Malfoy is my boyfriend. But no, this is about the fact that Draco is a Malfoy, isn't it?" Harry fairly spat. "I find it extremely interesting that you are forever sprouting off about giving people a second chance, but when it comes to me and mine, you are utterly unprepared to extend even a first chance!"

"Harry, calm down, he isn't worth it," Draco murmured, having moved to stand by Harry's side the moment Dumbledore appeared. Now he was glad he had, since he could feel the magic wanting to break out from under his mate's control.

"Harry... Who was it that taught you that spell?" Dumbledore asked, figuring it was about time to change the subject.

Harry glowered darkly, but answered nevertheless, "Sirius taught me all sort of nifty spells that one Christmas you allowed us to have," Harry spat, daring the Headmaster to say anything.

"Si-Sirius?" Albus echoed,startled. "But why would he show you such a nasty spell? What else did he teach you?" he asked, starting to grow alarmed. Had Molly been right all along in her suspicions?

"He and Remus both thought it would be beneficial for me to know a bit about how the other side fought. Having been in constant conflict with the Slytherins -- not that I am saying that they were right, the way they treated the Slytherins," Harry quickly added, giving Dumbledore another hard look. "But you can't argue with the fact that they knew the Slytherin mind-set quite well. And since Sirius was a Black, it only added to the fountain of knowledge they had to draw from.

"And for your information, it wasn't to encourage me to hex anyone that they taught me those spells, but rather so that I would know how to defend myself against those who did," Harry added, angry that Dumbledore would think so little of the man who had given all to keep Harry safe and protected.

Albus sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in a movement eerily reminiscent of the Potions Professor. "Harry- "

"Look, we are obviously not going to see eye to eye on this, so why don't you deduct points or whatever, and leave it at that. Now, if you don't mind, Professor McGonagall and I were in the middle of something, and since the evening is drawing to a close..." Harry cut in, trailing off meaningfully.

"Mr. Potter is correct, Albus. If you feel the need to discuss this matter further with the boy, I suggest you do it on your own time, McGonagall said, adding her voice to Harry's, leaving the Headmaster no other choice than to bid them good evening and leave.

"Thank you, Professor," Harry said, sending the woman a grateful look.

"Think nothing of it, Mr. Potter, we _do_ have other, more important matters to discuss. Such as, have you given any thought as to what animals you believe the students should create?"

HPDM

Lucius looked up from where he and Severus were sitting together on the sofa when the door slammed open and the two teenagers tumbled inside. "I see that nothing catastrophic happened, that is a relief," he said dryly, climbing to his feet. He and Severus had agreed to wait for the boys in case they needed to vent. Apparently, things had gone well.

"Severus!" Harry exclaimed, his entire face lightening up. "Just the Potions Master I was looking for!" he continued, moving towards Severus and holding out his hand, helping the man up.

Severus lifted an eyebrow. "What mischief are you two going to create now?" he asked dryly. "Weren't the potions Draco brewed last night enough?"

"Potions?" Harry asked blankly. Then he remembered what Draco had been up to, and he flashed Severus a big smile. "Nope, this has nothing to do with Potions; sorry to disappoint you, sir, but it _does_ concern you. Besides, I need to ask you a question. Mind if we talk in my room?" Harry asked, already tugging on Snape's arm in an attempt to get him moving.

Sending the two blonds a questioning look, Severus sighed and gave in to the insistent urging, following Harry into his bedroom and feeling relieved when the boy kept the door open. A jealous Veela was not something he wanted to face at the moment, much less two!

"What is so infernally important that you had to drag me in here?" Severus asked, settling on Harry's bed.

"I wanted to give you a heads up, and I needed to ask you a question," Harry said, glancing out the door at the two blonds who were talking quietly. By the way Lucius was beginning to fume, Harry felt it safe to guess that Draco was telling his father about Dumbledore's visit.

"Harry, what have you and Draco done now?" Severus asked, taking note of the way Harry was shifting his weight from foot to foot, behaving as if he was extremely nervous. What in the world could have happened during the boys' detention?

"Umm, I wanted to get back at the Headmaster for taking our horses away," Harry said, erecting a silencing barrier, making sure that neither Malfoy could hear him. "So I went to McGonagall and asked her opinion on some extra credit work I wanted to do. I have a copy of it here," Harry said, bounding over to his desk and producing a scroll from a drawer.

Severus gave the teen a look before accepting the scroll. Scanning it quickly, he couldn't help but laugh when he realised the revenge the teen going to take on the Headmaster. Oh, Albus would live to regret this! "I take it you wish to ask my permission to allow these pests into my classroom?" he asked dryly, his mind already pointing out all the dangers and what could be done to eliminate them.

"Sort of," Harry said a bit sheepishly. "I realise that your class could quickly turn into a real mess if there were suddenly gerbils and bunnies and such on the loose, not to mention that it could get really dangerous. So... I was thinking... there is that old, unused classroom opposite the one you are using. Could it be turned into some kind of, well, nursery or something? Where the students could leave their pets and they would be safe while keeping the children safe?" Harry asked hesitantly. Snape's class was the only true stumbling block, the way Harry saw it, and he didn't want to spring this surprise on the Potions Master, he deserved better.

"Hmm, that idea has merit. I am glad you realise what potential for disaster this has. Yes, with the help of a few house-elves, I am sure something could be created. How soon before the big launch?" Severus asked, already resigned to having the castle overrun by a group of animals.

"Professor McGonagall will present the concept to the school tomorrow, and as soon as the quartz we need has arrived, we will begin the project," Harry said eagerly, dancing in place with anticipation.

Severus regarded him for a few moments with an indulgent smile. A happy Harry was a very contagious thing. "Was there anything else you needed to discuss?" he prompted when it looked like Harry wasn't going to say anything else.

"Yeah! Um... I wanted to ask you something. I suppose I could have asked Lucius, but then I didn't want to hurt his feelings and I figured that if anyone knew, it would be you, so-"

"Harry, child, you are rambling," Severus said with a soft chuckle. Grasping the nearest hand, he pulled the teen down to sit with him on the bed. "Now, take a deep breath and just ask me," he instructed.

Harry nodded and took several deep breaths. "Dumbledore came to see me. As you might have guessed, he was not happy with me for what happened to Zachary Smith. I don't understand, Severus, everyone is behaving as if Draco is supposed to do everything. I mean... He is the one who is supposed to defend me, and he is the one who is supposed to love me above all else, and he is the one who is supposed to court me, and I don't know what else.

"That just isn't right! I mean, what am I suppose to do? Just sit back and allow Draco to deal with everything? What if I don't want to? You saw the wonderful lily he created for me, why should he be the only one allowed to show his love? Why can't I do the same? But when I told Neville, he was surprised, and Smith got snide about it, and...

"And I won't stand for it!" Harry said, a steely glint in his eyes. "I've been thinking about what I could give to Draco, to show him that I love him, and that I want to court him and to get to know him better and all that stuff." Harry took a deep breath and shifted so he could look the other man in the eyes. "Severus, I want to ask Draco to marry me," he said seriously.

Severus was astonished, shocked, and touched by the other boy's thoughtfulness and consideration. With a trembling hand, he reached out and cupped Harry's cheek. "Do you realise what it is you are offering?" he asked in a low voice.

"Yeah," Harry answered, his voice shaking slightly. "I'm guessing it isn't something that is commonly done, and I know we need to get permission from the king and all that, but I want...

"I want to show the world that I hold Draco in high regard. That I am not just doing this to keep a Veela alive or some such rot. I-I love him, Severus. I know it is crazy, and I can't say I understand the how or the way, but when I think of living my life without him, I-I break out into a cold sweat."

"That definitely sounds like love to me," Severus said, wrapping an arm around Harry's shoulders.

"I know that the Veela have their own traditions when it comes to bonding, and I'm sure the Elves do too. I'm not trying to deny either species, but as long as the wizarding world is like it is today, no one is going to fully support our love unless we do it the wizarding way, are they?" Harry asked, worrying at his lover lip.

"No," Severus said with a soft sigh. "However, that said, you need to realise that not many will understand why you would ask Draco to bond with you. If people had difficulty understanding and accepting your desire to wear leather, they will be even less inclined to understand and accept this."

Harry sighed and leaned slightly against Severus' side. "I figured as much. But if Draco is my fiancée, we will be on a moreeven footing. Draco is more than just a Veela, he is a wizard as well, and he belongs in both worlds.

"Ever since it became known that Draco is of Veela blood, and that I am his mate, the students have treated him differently. I didn't think of it before, too wrapped up with my own problems, I suppose," Harry said a bit dejectedly, "but I see it now. They sneer at him for not defending me against other students, and then when he does, they sneer at him for defending me. It isn't right!"

"No, it isn't," Severus agreed. The two fell silent while Severus pondered what Harry had told him. Coming to a decision, he climbed to his feet. "Tell you what, I will go out there and send Lucius in here. Then you can ask him for his permission to marry his son, and then the two of you can sit down and plan the perfect moment for you to spring the question on Draco. I am sure Luce won't mind if you bond with his son according to Veela, Wizard, and Elf law," Severus said with a kind smile.

"Thank you!" Harry said with heartfelt gratitude.

"Think nothing of it, brat, you are family now."

"Remember that tomorrow morning, sir," Harry said with a laugh.

Severus just shook his head and left the room, only pausing long enough for Harry to take down his spell.

Two blond heads shot up as he entered the living room. Giving Draco a reassuring smile, Severus made a small jerk with his head. "Harry needs to talk to you, Luce."

Lucius gave his mate a questioning look, but all he got was a quirky smile. Shaking his head in exasperation, the blond aristocrat entered the bedroom nevertheless.

"Sev? Is everything alright? Is Harry-?"

"Everything is fine, Draco, Harry just wanted to ask me something concerning the gift he wants to give you. He was worried that he might offend you or your father," Severus said calmly. "Now tell me, what did the Headmaster say to the brat? Harry was a bit vague with the details."

Draco would have taken offence at his godfather calling his mate 'brat' if it wasn't for the love evident in the man's voice when he spoke. Deciding to grill his mate later for details, Draco settled next to Severus and told him about the confrontation that had taken place earlier.

HPDM

"I understand you wanted to see me?" Lucius asked, sitting down next to Harry on the bed.

"Yes," Harry said simply, using a bit of wandless magic to close the door and to put up a privacy screen, not wanting to worry about his reactions revealing the secret ahead of time.

Lucius looked between the door and the teen sitting next to him. Lifting an eyebrow, he nudged Harry gently while saying in a teasing manner, "Show-off."

Harry looked startled for a moment, and then he laughed ruefully. "I suppose," he admitted somewhat sheepishly. "I didn't even think about it, I guess I just did it."

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Lucius asked when it became evident that Harry wasn't about to say anything anytime soon.

"Did you see the flower Draco made for me last night?" Harry asked, nodding towards the lily that was still rotating slowly.

"No. Severus told me about it, with Draco's permission, but I never saw it. He is quite skilled, isn't he?" Lucius said, moving closer to the flower to be better able to examine it. "He could make a living as an artist if he wanted to. Have you seen any of his sketches? Draco has an incredible eye for details. Where he got it from, I have no idea, certainly not from me!"

"No, I've asked him a few times about them, but he is very reluctant to talk about it. I am curious, but unless he wishes to show me, I'm not about to snoop," Harry said, understanding fully about not wanting to share something.

Lucius gave him a look, but refrained from commenting. Instead, he merely waited, knowing that Harry wanted to talk to him about something other than the wooden lily.

"Draco gave that to me as a token of his love and dedication to me. He said he wanted to spoil me and shower me with gifts because he loves me. But, Lucius, I love him too, and I want to do the same for him. Only, that is not _acceptable_," Harry said with a sneer, still feeling sore about the others' reactions to him wanting to please Draco. "I take it Draco has already told you the nonsense Dumbledore sprouted earlier?"

Lucius nodded, wondering what the teenager was planning to do. A cold fist was gripping his heart. Harry wasn't planning on leaving, was he?

"I want to show the world that they are a group of hypocrites. Draco is a Veela, yes, but he is a wizard too, and should be treated as one, and not just some magical creature that should be indulged."

Harry paused and took several deep breaths. "Sir, I wish to ask for Draco's hand in marriage."

"I...you...what?" Lucius asked, not having expected that declaration at all. But thinking about it, he realised that he should have.

"I wish to bond with Draco. I know that we need to get the Elven King's permission, and I am sure there are a lot of Veela customs to adhere to as well, but for now, I wish to make the wizarding world see that I love Draco and am just as committed as he is to making our union work. Do you think he will agree to that? Will _you_ agree to that?" Harry added in a small voice, not sure how to take the older Malfoy's silence.

"Harry James Potter, you are an honourable young man, and I am happy to accept your courtship of my son," Lucius said in a choked voice. Pulling Harry to him, he enveloped the teen in a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you, child, thank you!"

"For what?" Harry asked, perplexed, returning the fierce hug.

"For loving my son. For already looking out for his best interests. Have you thought this through? You _are_ aware of that you are breaking traditions, aren't you?" Lucius asked, wanting Harry to be fully sure of what he was doing.

"Yeah, I surmised as much," Harry said with a rueful chuckle. "Severus pointed that out to me as well. I don't care! Besides, it isn't right that Draco is the only one allowed to act on his love. If I want to spoil him rotten, why shouldn't I? It isn't like I'm broke and can't afford it!"

Lucius made a humming sound in agreement, realising that he had no idea where Harry stood financially. Deciding that that was a matter to ponder another day, he asked, "What about the engagement ring? Do you wish to use one of the Potter heirlooms, or do you wish to use one of the Malfoy ones?"

Harry glanced up at Lucius. "Would it disappoint you if I used neither?" he asked hesitantly, not wanting to anger the man who had come to mean so much to him.

"Not at all. I take it you are going to buy a new set of rings?"

"I was thinking of creating a set, actually," Harry admitted. "I want to make something that is entirely us. There are a lot of bad blood between the Potters and the Malfoys, and there has been so many misunderstandings between Draco and me. I want a new, fresh start. I don't want to feel that I might be offending him by asking him to use one of the Potter rings, and I don't want the world to think that I am bowing down to the Malfoys and forgetting my parents by using one of the Malfoy rings. We have enough crap to deal with as it is!"

"I take it that you have thought a lot about this?" Lucius asked, impressed by the thought behind Harry's desire for new rings.

"Not as much as you'd think," Harry admitted, "since I only begun thinking about it after the confrontation with Zachary Smith. However, considering the hysteria around me being the Boy Who Lived, I've learned to look at each and every situation from just about every angle. I know the wizarding world won't be happy with me, and I can't wait to read the _lovely_ articles Rita Skeeter will no doubt will dream up from this, but do you know what? I don't care. This is my life, and no matter what I do, no one will be happy with me anyway, so I might as well live my life so that I am happy. The rest of the world can go and hang itself!"

Lucius chuckled and wrapped Harry up in another hug, feeling ridiculously proud of the teen. "Well said, Harry, and don't worry about Miss Skeeter, I am sure she and I will come to some sort of mutual understanding that you can live with."

Harry chuckled, suddenly remembering that Skeeter and Draco had seemed really cosy together in fourth year. And she _had_ helped him out last year. Maybe she would be able to keep her poisonous pen in check. Maybe.

"So, when are you going to propose?" Lucius asked, laughing when Harry promptly turned a lovely shade of red.

"I need to create the rings, so I need you or Severus to keep Draco busy tomorrow night. That reminds me, make sure to show up in the Great Hall for breakfast tomorrow morning. I know that you aren't allowed to eat, but I think the show will more than make up for that."

Lucius gave Harry a searching look. "Just what are you and Draco up to?"

Harry smiled impishly "You will find out tomorrow," was all he said. "As for the proposal, how about Friday night? Do you think Severus would mind if the house-elves set up a romantic dinner in his rooms? I forgot to ask him earlier. Besides, I believe Draco and I should be close by, in case something happens during your bath," Harry added, growing serious.

"I'm sure that Severus won't mind," Lucius said, his voice filled with longing and anticipation. It seemed like a good omen to the Veela that Harry wanted to ask for Draco's hand the night he and Severus would finally be rid of the Dark Lord's taint.

* * *

**Next Time:**  
The letter from Remus is finally found.  
And, we find out more about the trunks from the junkshop.  
Until Then... 


	52. Mail call II

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter, JKR does.

**A/N:** Hello everyone. Sorry for not updating last Monday, but things have been rather not-nice around here for the past few weeks, putting me off my writing completely. Added to that was the fact that the Elves did not behave themselves, giving me quite a headache. So, I took a time-out, spending most of my free time reading HP and binging on chocolates. I'm feeling better now, and hopefully, life will leave me alone for a while.

This chapter has not been checked by a beta yet.

* * *

_Mail call II_

_Tuesday, Sep 17_

Lucius watched with a bemused smile as Harry was lost in his own world, deaf to the happenings around him. Sitting opposite to him was Draco, who was getting increasingly annoyed at being ignored by his mate. Figuring it was time to step in before his son resorted to hexing, Lucius gracefully summoned the two boxes he had prepared earlier. Placing them before the oblivious Harry, Lucius stated, "I believe you are in need of something to do."

"Huh? What? Did someone say something?" Harry asked, brought back to the here and now by a sharp kick from Draco. "Ouch, that bloody hurt!" he added with a snap, reaching forward to rub the offended spot.

"You only now noticed?" Draco asked with a drawl, doing his best to hide his annoyance, but by Salazar, he didn't like being ignored, particularly not when it was his mate that was doing the ignoring.

Harry lifted an eyebrow; not understanding what had thrown Draco into a snit.

"Salazar, Harry, what is the matter with you? You are sitting there, but you haven't heard a word anyone's said to you since you locked yourself away with my father. What the hell is going on?"

"Language, Dragon," Lucius said warningly, causing the boy to blush slightly, but he didn't back down.

Harry blinked, then he ducked his head and blushed, cursing himself for arousing the Veela's suspicions. Suddenly feeling very thankful for the distraction Lucius had provided him, Harry peeked inside the boxes, noting a large amount of what looked like envelopes.

"I'm sorry, Draco. I apologize, Severus and Lucius. I didn't mean to ignore you all like that. It's just..." Harry trailed off, not sure what to say. Taking a deep breath, he turned his attention fully to Draco, intent on doing some damage control. "It's just that I have come up with the perfect gift to give to you, Draco, only I need to do some plotting first. I truly am sorry for ignoring you that was never my intent. Can you forgive me?"

Draco huffed in annoyance, yet he couldn't help but smile tenderly at the sincere apology. And now he was being eaten up with curiosity, wondering what in the world Harry wanted to give to him that caused him to space out like that. "I forgive you, Harry. I guess I can understand wanting to make plans, but..."

"No buts," Harry said sternly, just knowing that the Veela was once again trying to tell him it wasn't necessary. "I _want_ to do this. I _want_ to surprise you, and show you just how much you mean to me. Please, Draco, please let me do this?" Harry pleaded, unconsciously sending a very potent puppy-dog look at him.

Draco caved immediately. How could he not when faced with that look? Leaning forward, the blond captured one of Harry's hands, giving it a light squeeze. "Plot and plan as many surprises as you wish, love," the Veela said with a tender smile.

"Good! 'Cause I plan to, whether you like it or not," Harry stated with a triumphant smirk, giving the hand holding his a gentle squeeze in reply. "So, what is all this?" he asked, turning his attention to the boxes, not letting go of Draco's hand.

"The large box is filled with letters from people who are supporting you," Lucius replied, indicating the box in question. "I have spent the time waiting for you to get back from the detention to go through your mail. Most were rubbish; nothing but marriage proposals, offers of carrying your child, or attempts to beg you for money. I have dealt with them accordingly," Lucius added, giving Draco a pointed look.

Draco received the hidden message and backed off on the tantrum he was about to throw.

"However, there was a surprising amount of letters from wizards and witches who merely wanted to offer you their support. For one reason or another, they do not agree with the current uproar, and they wished for you to know this. My suggestion to you is to write them a nice letter back, thanking them for their gesture," Lucius said, sitting back in his chair, watching the two boys expectantly.

Harry frowned, looking down at the pile of letters. Randomly picking one of the envelopes up, Harry opened it and scanned the letter swiftly. He then re-read it more slowly, carefully contemplating what it said.

Handing it over to Draco, Harry turned his attention back to the older Malfoy. "I take it that I am doing this for another reason other than just being nice?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Severus snorted and Lucius smiled a small, proud smile. "Yes. Although I had not believed you capable of picking up on that fact," Lucius admitted, sharing a glance with his mate. "No matter what you wish to do in the future, it would not hurt you to have the support of the people. Fudge will have a harder time discrediting you if the members of the wizarding world realised who you are. Up till now, you have been this mystic entity. You have been the Boy Who Lived, and the people have glorified you accordingly, but you have not been a real person to them. Which would explain why they have been so swift to turn their backs on you in the past," Lucius explained.

Harry's frown deepened. "But... nothing has truly changed... Has it?" he asked uncertainly.

"You are still the Boy Who Lived; the one who defeated You Know Who when you were a baby," Lucius said with a small nod. "However, you are beginning to grow up. And your recent actions have proved that you are capable of thinking for yourself. That you aren't just blindly following others. Also, you have proved that you are prepared to stand up for what you believe in, and that you will not allow yourself to be swayed by others, or be pushed around.

"You are still their hero, their saviour, their hope. But now you are beginning to be so much more. You are beginning to prove yourself to be a person they are willing to stand up for, and maybe even follow."

"All that from the fact that I designed my own clothes?" Harry asked, not truly believing his ears. And people accused him for being mental. By the sound of it, he was the only one sane!

The three Slytherins chuckled, their eyes shining with amusement. "There are a few other factors involved, but people are slowly beginning to realise that you are your own person, and that that person just might be worth following," Lucius said with a drawl.

"But... I don't want followers," Harry protested, still feeling bewildered.

"And that is why people are willing to follow you," Severus stated, ending up making Harry even more confused.

Shaking his head, Harry decided that he would try and figure out what was going on at a later time. Maybe after he had read the letters things would make more sense. "So, what's in the other box?" he asked, not sure he wanted to know.

"Those are the letters written to you by your friends and business associates. I have checked them for spells, curses, and dangerous substances. However, I have not read them."

"Thank you," Harry said, giving Lucius a grateful look. "Would you mind if I went through the letters from my friends?" he asked, glancing around at the others.

"No, we don't mind, go ahead," Severus said, overruling whatever Draco had been about to say. "Would you mind if I worked on translating Longbottom's journal? Or would you rather I retired to my own chambers?"

"No, stay, please, I don't mind having you here," Harry said, sending the Potions master a shy smile. Then the smile turned decidedly mischievous. "I'm sure Lucius is sharing my sentiment."

"Brat," Severus said, amusement shining from his black eyes.

"Maybe so, but you both know that I am right," Harry said somewhat smugly, causing Draco to snigger.

Lucius merely lifted an eyebrow at his errant son, causing him to laugh harder.

Shaking his head with amusement, Harry picked a letter and settled down to read.

_Dearest Harrikins,_

_I hope you aren't holding our not so dear brother's stupidity against us._

**_I do not know what has gotten into Ron these days, but this is not how we Weasleys are taught to review family._**

_And that is what you are, Harry, whether you want to be or not._

_**Yep, once you are made a Weasley, you will never be free from us! (evil cackle)**_

_You have to excuse my brother, Harry, I believe he has gotten into our 'I'm-a-dangerous- Dark-Lord-wanna-be-so-what-are-you-gong-to-do-about-it?' candy again. It doesn't mimic You Know Who's looks, because, frankly, who would want to look like that? But it does cause the eater to cackle madly and think up dastardly plots that will never be executed properly._

**_Do not listen to that brother of mine. When you are in need of kicking some ass, who better to channel than You Know Who?_**

_Anyway, what we wanted to tell you is this,_

_**We do not agree with Ron.**_

_In fact, we think he is a silly prat, who needs a good, hard kick in the backside!_

_**We have already sent him one prank letter. We will send him many more, and we pledge to you not to stop until he has learned his lesson.**_

_Who cares how you are dressed? And who cares about who you fall in love with? As long as you are happy that is all we care about._

**_If you should ever need any help with any pranks, don't hesitate to call on our expertise. Though, from what we've been hearing, you are doing pretty well on your own_**

_Your brothers of love, if not by blood_

_Gred and **Forge**_

_P.S. Can we use the prank you used on Pansy? I think it could be a great hit, changing yourself or others into cute, fluffy stuffed animals. What do you say? Pretty please?_ _We will worship you forever if you say yes._

**_And should you ever decide to become a Dark Lord, we will become your most devoted followers, pranking anyone who does not meet with your approval. Should be loads of fun! So, what do you say?_**

Harry blinked, then he sniggered. Fred and George was their usual, brilliant if somewhat confusing selves. "I say that you are two nutty prats," he stated aloud, shaking his head at the letter, missing the confusing looks he was given.

"Harry?" Draco asked, wondering if he should be worried or not.

"Just a letter from the twins," Harry said, already busy picking up the next letter. "They are confirming their support of me, in their own, unique way," he added, absentmindedly holding the letter out for Draco to pursue.

Draco grabbed it and was soon laughing heartily.

Harry looked up from his reading, enjoying the sound of true amusement, loving the open and carefree look on Draco's face. Promising himself to do everything within his powers to make sure the Veela had plenty of stuff to laugh about in the future, Harry went back to his letter.

_Dear Harry,_

_I know we don't know each other very well. I have heard a lot about you from Ron and the twins, but you and I have never truly interacted. Since I have spent most of my time in Egypt the past few years, it is rather understandable._

_Still, I liked the things I have heard about you. And the few times we have met, you impressed me with your intelligence, your integrity, and your resilience. Then there is the fact that if it wasn't for you, Ginny would most probably be dead now. Which means that the Weasley family owes you a Wizards debt, and Ginny owes you a Life debt. I don't know if anyone has approached you and talked to you about it, but I for one take such debts very seriously. _

_But Harry, even if those debts did not exist, I would still honour the fact that you have been made an honorary Weasley. I don't know what my mother's problem is, but I am not prepared to turn my back on my love brother. That is not how we Weasleys were raised, Percy non withstanding. _

_I for one will proudly stand at your side, no matter what the future brings. You have time and again proven yourself to be a fine young man, worthy of my loyalty. Even if you do have begun to associate closely with the Malfoys. And yes, there is a reason there is such... dislike between our families, but I believe that should be discussed in person. Perhaps the four of us could meet sometime soon and talk? I really would like to see you again, Harry, and hopefully get to know my youngest brother a bit better._

_Yours truly,_

_William Weasley._

Harry stared dumbly at the letter, his mind reeling. Life debt? Did Ginny really owe him a Life debt for what had happened in the Chamber of Secrets? What did that mean, exactly? Glancing over at Lucius, Harry hesitated to ask him. They had never truly discussed the diary, and he was loathed to bring up what had be a sensitive subject. Still, he desperately needed to know if this changed anything.

"Harry? Is something wrong?" Lucius asked, having noted Harry's growing agitation, silently promising himself to hunt down and hurt whoever had upset the brunet.

"Umm, I'm not sure," Harry admitted, and after a brief hesitation, handed over the letter with an apologetic look.

Lucius read through it, his jaw clenching when he came to the end. With measured movements, the blond put the letter down and turned his full attention to Harry. "Which part is it that worries you?" he asked, not about to jump to conclusions.

"Umm, what Bill said about debts. Is it true? And if it is, what does it mean?" Harry asked timidly.

Hearing Harry's question, Draco abandoned his sketching and came to sit next to Harry, wrapping his arms around the Elf, offering love and support. Harry gratefully snuggled into Draco's chest, pretty sure he would not like what he was about to hear.

"Yes, it is true that there is a life debt between you and Ginny Weasley. I take it that no one has talked to you about this?" Lucius asked, already knowing the answer.

"No," Harry said with a sigh, shaking his head. "As a matter of fact, no one has ever talked to me about that night since then. I just figured that no one wanted to remember how close Ginny was to dying, and well..."

"You didn't mentioned it because you didn't want to bring up a subject that was clearly sensitive to them," Draco said knowingly.

Harry merely nodded his head.

Lucius and Severus both shook their heads. Sweeping an unpleasant matter under the carpet was not the way to go about it. No matter how much the Weasleys wanted to forget, the debt still existed and it would not go away until Harry declared that payment had been meted out in full. Was this more of Dumbledore's meddling? If so, what was he hoping to gain by it?

"Harry, you saved the youngest Weasley's life. In payment for that act you could demand just about anything. If you so wished, she would have to marry you, or become your mistress. You could demand her first born child, or even insist that she carried your child," Severus said, ignoring the angry hiss coming from his godson.

"As for the other Weasleys, they owe you a debt of gratitude. Normally the Head of the family would be the one dealing with this issue, but it has happened that the matter has been settled with other members of the family. And it should have been decided long before now what the payment should be. It is rare that a debt of gratitude is left unvoiced for as long as this one has been left hanging."

"Maybe Mr. Weasley was waiting for me to turn sixteen?" Harry tentatively asked, not wanting to badmouth the man, but not knowing enough to truly defend him.

All three Slytherins shook their heads.

"Harry," Lucius said, taking up the explaining once more. "A debt of gratitude is _always_ settled right away. The terms of the agreement might take years to be fulfilled, but the issue itself is always addressed right away. The life debt on the other hand can not be addressed until Miss Weasley has turned sixteen, since she is the one who has to repay you, and she has to be an adult to be able to do so."

"What a bloody mess!" Harry said with a heavy sigh, snuggling in deeper against Draco. "Wait a minute!" Harry suddenly exclaimed, looking a bit green. "Does this mean that I owe Severus a life debt? I mean," he added, gulping slightly, looking over at the Potions master, "you _did_ save me in my first year, when Quirrell jinxed my broom. And... there has been several other occasions as well, hasn't there?" Harry said timidly.

Severus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, this was not how he had envisioned this discussion. Albus had forbidden him to approach Harry until after the final battle, forcing a wizard's oath out of him before he was satisfied, and Severus had spent many nights coming up with interesting ways he would ruin the brats life. But mostly, he had just put it out of his mind, filing it as yet another right being denied him.

However, circumstances had changed. Harry had turned out to be the mate of Draco. Moreover, Potter was not the spoilt brat Severus had always taken him to be, so the plans no longer held any appeal to him whatsoever.

"Yes, Harry, there is a Life debt between us. However, Albus made me swear a wizard's oath that I would not bring it up with you until after the Dark Lord had been defeated," Severus said evenly, keeping his face blank.

Harry growled angrily. "Fuck Dumbledore and his oaths. You are not bringing the matter up, _I_ am! This is what I am going to do; I am going to find out everything I can about different wizarding debts, because clearly, I am woefully ignorant -- not that that is anything new.

"Then, we will be sitting down, you and I. Hmm, I suppose Draco and Lucius should be there as well, after all, this concerns them too in a way. And then you and I are going to sit down and discuss everything, and we will keep at it until we have come to an agreement _both_ of us can live with," Harry said, folding his arms across his chest, daring Severus to contradict him.

Severus, being Severus, did just that. "Harry, in a few days time you will save my life by removing the Dark Mark. Furthermore, you will free Lucius, allowing us to bond with each other, as we should have done almost seventeen years ago. Any debts owned by you, will be wiped clean by those acts," Severus said softly, his face softening, a rare smile playing on his lips.

"Hmph, we'll see," was all Harry said, putting on his most mulish look. Making sure Snape couldn't try and discuss the matter further, Harry turned his attention to the box, picking up a suspiciously thick envelope. Running his fingers lightly all around hit, Harry looked over at Lucius and asked, "You are sure it is alright to open it?"

"Yes. It appears to be a book, but I can find no traces of anything dangerous or Dark."

Knowing that Lucius wouldn't let anything dangerous come even close to him, Harry trusted the blond's words and tore the package apart. A book along with a folded up parchment fell out onto the table. Picking up the paper first, Harry swiftly scanned the surprisingly long letter.

_Dear Sweetie,_

_What a dear you are, Harry Potter, worrying about an old woman like that. But don't you worry none about me! I knew exactly what I was doing selling those trunks to you. And at that price_

_You see, my great-grandfather was a bit of a Seer. Yes, I know, most unusual, since Seers are usually women, but there are a few males out there as well. Anyway, he sometimes got glimpses of the future, mostly when he was in the process of looking for finds at auctions and estate sales. _

_Now and then he would come home whit a trunk that he immediately hid away in the attic. The rest of the family was furious with him, especially when he had paid a lot of money for one of those trunks, but he remained tight-lipped and refused to explain himself, or to allow the trunks to be examined or sold._

_Then one day, when he was getting on in years and was no longer able to keep working in the shop, he pulled me aside and showed me the trunks he had gathered together. "One day," he said, "One day a young man, dressed in leather and extremely polite will walk into the shop, and he will ask to buy all the books we have. He will have black hair and the greenest of eyes, and he will have an unusual scar on his forehead. You will sell him the books, and you will sell him the trunks gathered up here, charging only fifteen Galleons a trunk. It will be my contribution to building a better world." _

_He had a faraway look in his eyes when he told me that last, and I just knew he was seeing something I couldn't. I remembered his words, and for a long time I checked each and every customer closely, but none of them matched my great-grandfather's description. To tell you the truth, I had all but forgotten his words when you showed up, and when I did remember, I could understand his words and actions a bit better. So you see, Sweetie, you do not owe me anything more for those trunks. _

_Sadly my great-grandfather died some years ago, but he left me his diaries. I think you will find this one interesting. He always kept detailed notes on the things that he bought, writing down how big a profit he made, and if what he saw ever came true or not. He kept a special journal that he kept well hidden and bespelled so that his relatives couldn't find out that way what he had brought home. I have never tried to break the spells on this journal, and I find that I don't want to know what is written inside, but maybe you are the one meant to read the words my great-grandfather wrote down..._

_Anyway, good luck to you. I hope the things in the trunks will be of some small assistance to you._

_All my love,_

_Abigail Sweetwater._

"Bloody fucking hell!" Harry exclaimed, staring down at the innocent looking journal as if it was about to come to life and bite him at any second.

"Harry?" Lucius asked in alarm, not taking the time to chide him for his language. By the looks on the teen's face, things were most definitely not well.

Still staring in disbelief at the book, Harry opened his mouth, then closed it again, not sure how to explain what he was feeling. Mutely, he held the letter out to Lucius, quietly asking him to read it aloud.

Allowing the older Malfoy's voice to wash over him, Harry turned away from the bloody book and buried his face in Draco's neck. Could his life get anymore bizarre? And who the hell had decided that his entire life should be mapped out in advance? What about his free will? Wasn't anyone taking that into account? Or didn't his will matter for some reason?

Lucius finished the letter and fell silent. For several long moments no one spoke, all three Slytherins staring at the journal with varying looks of disbelief on their faces. Then Draco whooped, startling them all.

"This is sooo cool. Are you going to try and read it now?"

"No!" Harry said curtly, still buried in Draco's neck.

"Why ever not? Aren't you curious to find out just what other finds he made? Maybe he even left us some hints on what will happen in the near future. I can't wait to find out. Aren't you even the smallest bit curious?"

Harry removed himself from Draco's neck and just stared at the Veela in amazement. Did Draco even listen to what he was saying? Didn't he realise what this implied? _But no_, Harry realised, his mood darkening drastically. _Draco doesn't know what it is like to have your whole life dictated by some bloody prophecy. He doesn't know what it feels like to know that you are stuck, forced with a duty you do not want. That you never asked for._

"Go to hell!" Harry hissed, jerkily sliding off Draco's lap. Grabbing hold of the journal, Harry marched into his bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him as hard as he could.

Draco blinked in confusion. "What did I say?" he asked, completely baffled, not understanding why Harry was so angry, or why he wasn't more thrilled by the journal.

Severus didn't even try to explain; he merely rose to his feet and made his way over to the bedroom, carefully cracking the door open before sliding inside.

"Father?" Draco asked, watching as Lucius just shook his head and run a hand through his hair.

"Draco, you might find this situation fascinating. I must confess, I do too some extent. However, Harry has already been informed that his life is ruled by a prophecy. I imagine that he is not thrilled by the thought of others making his decisions for him," Lucius said somewhat dryly.

"Shit!" Draco cursed, suddenly understanding only too well, and he scrambled out of his chair, running for his mate, anxious to mend the hurt he had unwittingly caused.

HPDM

Severus wasn't particularly surprised to find Harry curled up on the bed, arms wrapped around his knees and gently rocking back and forth. Sitting down on the edge of the mattress, the Potions master wrapped his arms around the teen, pulling him close to his chest, while running one hand through the messy mop of black hair. He didn't say anything at first, merely offering comfort and understanding.

"Harry, Draco didn't mean to hurt your feelings like that," Severus said gently, when he felt Harry slightly lean into his side, accepting the comfort offered.

Harry had dived onto his bed, curling up into a tight ball. He knew he wouldn't be left alone for long, and if it hadn't been for not wanting to risk running into Dumbledore Harry would have left the suite, seeking solitude someplace else. Merlin, couldn't the universe give him one bloody break?

"I know," Harry growled when it became apparent that Severus wasn't about to leave him alone anytime soon. Feeling angry and out of sorts, Harry went on, "But by Salazar and the Founders, is there _any _aspect of my life that isn't controlled by others? I am getting bloody tired of everyone else running my life but me!"

"Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry," Draco said, flying across the room and crawling onto the bed, wrapping his arms around his mate from behind, adding his comfort to Severus'. "I didn't stop to think."

"You got that right!" Harry snarled, not yet ready to forgive his Veela.

"Harry," Lucius said, commanding the brunet's attention, not wanting things to escalate any further out of control. "The future is not set in stone. You do have a free will, and you choices do dictate what type of person you are. No one else but you can determine that. What the Seers see is a possible future, a possible outcome of the choices you make," he added, coming to sit on the other side of Harry, conveying his sympathy and his support.

Faced with so much love and affection, Harry felt his resolve to remain angry melt away. "I'm sorry," he said with a tired sigh. "It's just that... Dumbledore once told me that it is our choices who decide who we are. And yet I find that most of my decisions have not been my own. The Headmaster has used his influence to manipulate me and the events surrounding me, until I felt there was only one choice I could make. To find out that not even the impulse to buy those bloody trunks was my own... I guess I flipped."

"Most understandably," Severus stated dryly, somehow making the situation seem much more brighter by just the tone of his voice. "However, as Lucius just said, a Seer can't rule your future. They might, however, give you a nudge now and then, helping you to make the best choice possible."

"I still don't like it," Harry said petulantly, coming out of his curled position and hid his face in Severus' chest.

Severus looked down, startled, but he didn't comment. He merely wrapped his arms tighter around the boy and continued to rock them gently.

"What is it you don't like?" Lucius asked, reaching forward and started to pet Harry's hair, hoping to help him calm even further.

"I don't like it that people are putting so much faith in me" Harry whispered, glancing up from Severus chest for a brief moment. "I don't like it that complete strangers, people I have never met, expect me to do things, to fix things, that I have absolutely no bloody idea how to do or fix! Why do they keep expecting me to be the one to do anything? Why cant they bloody well do it themselves?"

"Because they are stupid?" Draco said, putting his head on Harry's shoulder. "Because they are lazy? Because they are so used to letting Fudge and the _Daily Prophet_ do their thinking so they no longer can think for themselves?"

"Then they can bloody well get un-stupid! Or un-lazy!" Harry all but snarled, not in the mood to mind his language even though he felt both Severus and Lucius flinch slightly at each profanity.

"For that to happen you have to seriously change our society, and that leads us right back to you," Lucius said dryly.

Harry lifted his head and rolled his eyes at him. "Thank you, Lucius, that made me feel _so_ much better!" he snarked.

"I am always happy to be of service, Loveling."

Harry blinked. Then he stuck his tongue out, before bursting into giggles, taking the two blonds with him.

Severus merely heaved a longsuffering sigh. "Are we finished with the melodrama for tonight?" he asked wryly, tugging on one of Harry's locks.

"I suppose so," Harry said somewhat ruefully, reluctantly letting go of the man.

"Good, then I shall return to my work on Longbottom's journal," Severus stated, raised to his feet and swept out of the bedroom.

Harry chuckled and climbed off the bed as well. "I suppose I might as well finish going through those bloody letter. That way I won't have to worry about them any longer."

"Are you sure? There is always tomorrow," Draco said worriedly, climbing off the bed as well.

"Yes, I'm sure Draco. I'm sorry I blew up at you. I just want to get it over with. Besides, I want to be able to fully enjoy the look on Dumble's face tomorrow, I'm not going to let anything get between me and my revenge," Harry said with a very Malfoyish smirk on his face.

Draco was tricked into a laugh, and he walked up to his mate and kissed him. "I love you, Harry, no matter what," he whispered.

"I love you too, Draco," Harry replied, a tender look on his face.

HPDM

Figuring that they could all need a break, Draco summoned Dobby and asked him to bring some hot cocoa and cake. Dobby was only too eager to please, and soon they all had a mug each, along with a large assortments of cakes, pies, and puddings. Draco just shook his head bemusedly and dived in, managing to lure Harry to eat quite a bit as well.

Feeling much better, Harry looked through the remaining letters until he found one with a familiar scrawl on it. Eyes lit up in pleasure, the brunet eagerly tore the envelope open, pulling out the parchment within.

_Dear Harry,_

Harry blinked, finding himself slightly hurt by the formal greeting. Remus had always called him cub in the few letters they had exchanged. Did the werewolf blame him for Sirius' death, even though he denied it when Harry asked?

_Thank you for your letter. I am glad to hear that you are well and are doing good. I was somewhat shocked to read that you are the mate of a Veela, but thinking about it I suppose I shouldn't have been. There has always been something about you, Harry, an aura of power, which makes you glow. You also have this look of innocence about you, and knowing the mechanics of Veelas, I am not surprised that one of them has selected you as a mate. They have always been drawn to power, and the Malfoys have always been more susceptible than most to that pull, which explains why they chose to join with Voldemort I suppose._

Harry frowned, not sure he liked the tone of the letter, or the things Remus was saying. The werewolf made it sound as if a Veela could chose who their mate was. And Lucius had not chosen to follow Voldemort, not out of his own free will. That decision had been forced upon him by his father for Merlin's sake! But he supposed he could forgive Remus his assumptions on that subject, since it wasn't exactly common knowledge. Shaking his head, Harry decided to just finish his letter, maybe an explanation was to be found further on?

_I am happy to tell you that I have found a place in the Billabong clan. For the first time in my life I have been accepted with open arms and with no prejudice whatsoever. My friends, whom I hadn't seen in years, are still here, and they have welcomed me with enthusiasm. They have even managed to help me accept the wolf within me, with the result that my transformations are much less painful. In fact, there is hardly any pain at all, and with the Wolfbane potion helping us to keep our minds, it has become a great pleasure to run under the full moon again, and not the necessary evil it was before._

_Being here, with the Billabong clan, accepted as one of their own, has helped me to heal many of the wounds that I have carried with me for the past seventeen years. Hell, most of the wounds I have carried with me since I was bitten and shunned by our society. Here, I am not shunned. Here, I am a valued member of the pack. I am a teacher again, Harry, teaching the wizard children Defence, and even some Charms and Transfigurations. It is wonderful to be of use again, and I'm sorry to say this to you in a letter like this, Harry, but I don't think I will be returning to Britain any time soon._

_Yes, I know we are at war, but I also know that you will have finished it soon. I have every faith in you, my cub. And yes, I know that Albus wants me to try and talk to the different werewolf clans, encouraging them to turn away from You Know Who. But my talks with the clan leader here have made me realise that nothing I have to say will sway them. Either they will join the Dark Lord, or they won't. Nothing I have to offer will be of any meaning to the clans, not as long as the British Ministry continues to treat them as Dark Creatures that should be put down as soon as possible. If they decide not to side with You Know Who, it will be because of their own sense of right and wrong, not due to some empty promises from a Ministry that doesn't want them anyway. I have included a letter for Albus where I explain all this to him, could you please make sure he gets it?_

_I suppose I should say thank you for the piece of art you sent me. I am happy for you, it must have taken some skill to make it. The details were exquisite, and you had captured the spirits of the animals perfectly. I am sure you sent it to me to give me comfort, but I am sorry to say the exact opposite was achieved._

_Harry... I'm not sure how to tell you this, but I don't want you to contact me for a while. In fact, I will get in touch with you once I am ready. I have removed the charm on Hedwig; she will no longer be capable of finding me._

_I understand that this action will hurt you, probably hurt you deeply, and I am sorry for that. But Harry, for the first time in my life I am going to be selfish. I have lost all my friends. I have nothing left in Britain. And even though I do have you, it isn't enough. I am hardly ever allowed to see you, making both the wolf and the man extremely unhappy. And when I do see you... I'm sorry Harry, but you look so much like James and Lily, it is breaking my heart remembering that they are no longer here with me. _

_For years, I managed to keep my grief at bay, using the anger and hatred I felt for Sirius and his betrayal to carry me through one more day. Finding out that Sirius was innocent broke my heart. And when he was killed, it broke my spirit._

_I hope you can understand, Harry, but I can no longer live among the shadows of the past. It is time I got a chance to walk in the sun again. And I am allowed that here, in a way that I was never allowed back home. Besides, it isn't as if you are alone. We both know that you will always have Albus at your side, guiding you and watching over you. And now you have the Malfoys too. I may not like either Lucius or Draco, but I do know that they will do everything within their powers to keep you happy and safe. The Veela in them will make sure of that. Use it, Harry, use it well to your advantage. The Malfoys are an old family, with a vast fortune and with a lot of contacts that you should be able to put to good use. If nothing else, you are long over due to being pampered and spoiled._

_Good luck with the war, Harry, and may you live a long and happy life._

_Remus._

Harry stared at the letter in shock. Was Remus...? No, he couldn't! Remus was supposed to stay in Australia until he got back on his feet! He wasn't supposed to abandon him, just as everyone else had! Bloody hell! Did this mean?

Slowly, Harry looked away from the horrible letter and his gaze landed on Draco. Did this mean that the Veela would be leaving him too? Unable to deal with the emotions swirling around inside him, hurt beyond words by the rejection of a man who had proclaimed himself as Harry's honorary godfather a few short weeks earlier, Harry burst into tears. Stumbling out of his chair, Harry made his way over to where Severus was sitting and threw himself at him, crying hysterically into Severus' shoulder, clinging to him with all his might.

Three shocked people stared at him, stunned. Not surprisingly, Severus was the first to come to life, being a spy had taught him to be resilient and react swiftly to unexpected situations. Wrapping his arms around the boy, Severus pushed his chair back from the table so that he could pull Harry to sit on his lap. Realising the futility of finding out what was wrong from the teen, Severus snapped at the Malfoys, who sprang into action, snatching up the letter and reading it swiftly.

"I'll fucking kill him!" Draco growled, incensed by the content in the letter. "I never liked him. There was something shifty about his eyes! How can he do this? How can he cast Harry aside like that? I thought a werewolf was supposed to guard their pack with their life? Not cast them aside when they became too bothersome!" Draco hissed, running his hands through his hair, casting worried looks at his mate, a little hurt that Harry had gone to Severus and not him.

"I'm guessing that Lupin is somehow blaming Harry for Sirius' death," Lucius said quietly, also shooting worried looks at Harry.

"But... That is insane! Harry was tricked! It wasn't his fault that Black was killed!" Draco spat, having a hard time keeping his voice low, but he didn't want to upset his mate further.

"I know that. You know that. Severus knows that, and hopefully Harry knows it as well," Lucius said evenly, looking intently at his son. "But grief can make you do crazy things. And it is easier to assign blame onto others rather than taking the responsibility for your own actions. We don't know what happened earlier that night. We don't know what was going on between Lupin and Black. It almost sounds as if the two were lovers, and if that was the case, then the cub of two dear friends are not enough to keep the wolf sane as he grieves for his mate."

Draco nodded curtly to show that he was listening, but in reality he was too busy cursing. He wanted to rush to his mate's side, but he was worried he'd only make things worse. However, when Harry slumped in Severus arms, Draco was beside them in a flash, harshly demanding to know what was going on.

"I put him to sleep," Severus replied evenly, getting to his feet with some difficulty. "He was going into shock, and since I still don't know how to treat an Elf without further risking his health, I put him to sleep. Hopefully, his magic will be able to heal him while he sleeps."

Draco nodded, never taking his eyes off his too still mate.

Working together, it didn't take the two of them long to put Harry to bed, and Draco crawled in beside him, pulling Harry to him until the Elf was nestled against his chest, his head resting above Draco's heart. The blond teen remembering how much comfort Harry had taken from that sound before and hoping the sound of the steady beat would help soothe him as he slept.

Having made sure the two was resting comfortably, Severus re-entered the living room, looking like thunder cloud. Wordlessly Lucius handed him the letter, then sat back as Severus cursed up a storm over Lupin and his stupid, Gryffindorish behaviour.

* * *

**A/N:** This was _not_ the way I had envisioned how Remus letter would sound when I first brought it up all those chapters ago, but for some reason, this was the only way it would be written. One of the reasons it took me so long to update. Don't worry, things should smooth out with time. (Quite a lot of time.)

Since this chapter went its own way, I haven't got a clue what the next chapter will contain. I guess it will be a surprise for all of us this time. Until then…


	53. The Headache That Is Harry Potter

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. This is done all for fun, no money is made.

**A/N:** Well, here it is. The chapter that gave me such headache. The Elven King has arrived, but not the way he had planned. Hah! Serves him right.

Thank youeveryone for your overwhelming positive response to the last chapter. I loved every word you sent. Thank you! (I was positive I was going to be flamed to the deepets pit of hell.)

* * *

_The Headache That Is Harry Potter_

_Tuesday Sep 17_

Draco blinked his eyes open and absentmindedly reached up to try and remove the water from his eyes. He had no recollection of falling asleep, but this just had to be a dream. If it wasn't, then now was a good time to start panicking.

He was standing in the middle of a vast field, smack in the middle of the worst thunderstorm he had ever witnessed in his _life_. Some yards away was Harry, his head thrown back and his arms flung out wide, and he was slowly spinning around in place while laughing. Around him bolt after bolt of lightning was hitting the ground, making the air sizzle, and the smell of ozone was enough to make Draco want to sneeze. _Yep, dream or not, panicking sounded good just about now_, Draco thought, cautiously making his way over to where his mate was standing.

"Harry? What are you doing?" Draco asked, eyeing the sky wearily, not sure he wanted to know.

"Isn't this great?" Harry asked, grinning like mad and flinging an arm around Draco's shoulders.

"No?" Draco answered, turning the reply into a question. He was wet. He was standing in ankle deep mud, and he was in immediate danger of being fried to a crisp. No, nothing about this situation could be labelled as great. Adding insult to injury was the fact that both he and Harry was dreaming, and although they were wet and dirty, it was not in a manner that Draco could enjoy. Bummer!

"Harry, what is going on? Where are we? What's up with the weather?" Draco asked, reaching up to cup his mate's jaw.

Harry looked down at Draco, turning his full focus on the Veela. "Sorry, Draco, but I haven't the foggiest idea where we are. As for the weather, haven't you ever felt like just standing in the middle of a thunderstorm? Screaming and shouting your anger and anguish away? Secure in the knowledge that no one can hear you? Allowing the rain and the thunder to wash you clean?"

Draco tilted his head to the side, taking in the soppy wet state of Harry's hair, and the sparking green eyes that were alive in a way the blond had never seen before. Smiling gently, he pulled his mate closer and kissed him, ignoring the coldness of their skins, only focusing on the warmth that was Harry's mouth.

Lazily, Draco stroked his tongue over Harry's, revelling in the shudder his action produced. Pressing closer to his mate, Draco carefully excavated that hot cavern that only seemed to get hotter the longer the kiss lasted.

Only when a lightning bolt hit the ground a mere three feet away, did they break apart, and Draco leaned his head against Harry's shoulder, only now noting that it was bare.

"Wow!" Harry murmured, wrapping his arms around Draco tightly. "I don't know which is wilder, your kisses or the lightening.

Draco was tricked into a snorting laugh. "Only you, love," Draco said, his eyes shining with amusement while shaking his head. Wrapping his own arms just as tightly around his mate, he asked again, "So, where did you find this storm then?"

Harry shrugged, leaning his head on Draco's shoulder, going back to watching the lightening bolts. "I don't know. I was... I don't know what I was. I was angry. I wanted to shout. I wanted the world to know that I wasn't happy. And the next thing I knew, there was this gigantic lightning landing a few yards away, and then I just knew what it was I wanted, so I called on the thunder, and then you showed up..." Harry said, feeling a bit silly now that he tried to explain what he had been feeling.

"Hey, after the day you had just had, I would want to do some shouting as well," Draco said, looking up and into mesmerising green eyes. "Personally, I've never been overly fond of rain and thunder, I'm more partial to snow. You know, when large flakes are falling from the sky, the type that sticks to your hair and eyelashes," Draco said, becoming enthusiastic as he described his favourite kind of weather.

Harry listened to him, fascinated by the play of emotions he could see on his boyfriends face, realising suddenly that there was still a lot of child left inside Draco Malfoy, only it was safely tucked away where no one could see it, and Harry felt proud for being allowed this glimpse of that inner child.

"I love you," Harry whispered, reaching up to tuck a wet lock away behind a delicate ear.

Draco's eyes widened at the unexpected declaration of love, but then they softened and he pulled his green eyed beauty into another soul stealing kiss. "And I love you, Harry, with all my heart."

Unnoticed by either boy, the thunderstorm tapered off just as quickly as it had appeared, and the sun broke through the black clouds, creating a vivid rainbow above the two lover's heads. Lost in the pure love they could see in each others eyes, time lost all meaning, and neither had any idea how long they had been standing there, when Harry suddenly whipped his head to the side, staring into the distance.

"Harry?" Draco asked, getting worried over his mate's weird behaviour.

"Love?" he asked again, when Harry didn't react to his call, reaching up to place his hand against a cold cheek.

"Can you hear it?" Harry asked, his voice strangled, and laced with... was that fear?

"Hear what?" Draco asked, truly getting concerned.

"The music. That song. It's the Seeker, Draco, I just know it is her. Can't you hear her? What if she takes me away? I can't go, Draco. Not now!" Harry said, growing more and more agitated by the minute.

"Shush, love, you know that you will have to face the Elven King at some point," Draco said, doing his best to stay strong for his mate. However, he could not deny the sliver of dread that took root at the pit of his stomach when Harry mentioned the Seeker. What if she did take Harry away? What if the king didn't think Draco to be good enough for one of his subjects. Unconsciously, he tightened his grip on the Elf, determined to stay with him, no matter what.

Harry felt his mate's agitation, and it fuelled his own churning emotions. Yes, he knew that he would have to face the Elves at some point. But not now, damn it all to hell! He had things to do, important things, and he just didn't have time to go gallivanting to other dimensions. Hopefully, the king would understand, but if he didn't? Well, tough!

Trying to decide what he should do, Harry was dismayed when the air in front of him shimmered, and then he was there, somehow standing next to the woman who had haunted his sleep for so long.

The scene was just as he remembered. The woman was sitting in a round room built of large stone blocks. The floor was covered in some type of moss, and the walls were covered with some kind of flower, looking similar to clematis, and the pale lavender coloured blooms were filling the air with their fragrant perfume.

The structure had several large glassless windows, and there was no roof, giving the sun ample opportunity to fill the place with its rays, causing the woman's blond locks to glimmer as if they were made of pure gold.

Allowing the last notes from the harp do taper off, the Elf turned her head and looked at Harry, a welcoming smile on her lips. "Greetings," she said, and for the first time since he started having these dreams, he could actually understand her.

Not trusting his voice, Harry gave her a sharp nod in greeting, clutching even tighter at Draco, scared out of his mind to suddenly find himself alone with the Seeker.

"I see, is he the reason you have resisted my calls? Relax, youngling, you have nothing to fear from me. I merely wish to welcome you to the Elven Realm. The King will be most pleased to meet with you and your mate," the Elf said, giving them both a kind smile.

"Merlin! Please tell me that I am dreaming," Draco said pleadingly, staring around in awe.

"No, young Veela, this is no dream," the woman said, still smiling kindly at them, only a hint of indulgence had crept into the expression, and for some reason that just made Harry angrier. Tell me, young Elf, why have you not come before? It is unheard of for a Lost One to stay away for as long as you have done. If it was not due to your mate, then what is troubling you?"

"Look, Lady, I appreciate that you've been looking for me," Harry said, fighting down his urge to just leave, figuring the Elves deserved some type of explanation. Draco winced at the blunt manner his mate was speaking, and he began to rub soothing circles on Harry's back in an attempt to calm him down. They did not need for Harry's magic to get out of control. The situations was thorny as it was.

"Please, call me Mooncrest, and it was my pleasure calling you here," Mooncrest said with another blinding smile, rising Harry's hackles further. The woman was just too damn... smug!

"Mooncrest," Harry acknowledged, figuring he might as well _try_ to be civil. After all, he needed the Elves to accept him and Draco, and it might make things go smoother if he didn't piss them off too much. But Merlin, could their timing be any worse?

"Like I said, I appreciate you looking for me. But at first I had no idea who you were, or what you were doing for that matter. Unfortunately, I have learned the hard way not to trust the beings I encounter in my dreams, so I was in no hurry to answer your calls," Harry admitted, running an agitated hand through his hair.

"Once I found out what was going on... Well, I don't how to say this politely, but, your timing sucks! I have important things that needs to be dealt with in the wizarding world, and no matter how much I want to come with you now, I just can't."

"Harry!" Draco hissed, leaning back so he could look Harry in the eyes. "What are you doing? You just don't say no to a king!"

Harry glanced at the Veela, seeing the concern and the fear lurking in those beautiful silvery eyes. "What choice do I have? You know as well as I do that the Dark Mark needs to be removed as soon as possible. Your father and Severus have suffered enough. They have been betrayed by just everybody; their families, Hogwarts, Dumbledore, Voldemort, everybody. I for one refuse to be included in that group! The mark will be removed on Saturday. It is Tuesday today, surely the King can understand that and wait for a few measly days?" Harry pleaded, looking from Draco to the Seeker.

"I know I need to speak with the King. I know that I can't fully bond with Draco until he has given his permission, but I just can't turn my back on Lucius and Severus, I'm sorry but I just can't. I won't!" Harry vowed, his face firming with his determination, and within his eyes danced green fires.

"Look, why don't you call me in a few days time? Say, on Sunday? By then the Dark Mark should be gone and Lucius and Severus bonded with each other. I promise I will come peacefully then, but I just can't do it now, okay? Give my regards to the king, and tell him that I am sorry, but I won't turn my back on my family. I won't!"

"Harry!" Draco hissed, torn between the pride that was threatening to cause him to burst, and fear of what the king would do when faced with such blatant disrespect.

"Hush, Draco, they will understand. If they can't, then I will not become a subject. I love you. I am proud of being part of your family. If the Elves can't understand that, then it is their loss. I will not allow them to sway me from doing what is right," Harry proclaimed, bending down to kiss the Veela passionately, effectively ending any further arguments.

Mooncrest could only stand there and stare. Never, not once in the three thousand years she had been the King's Seeker had anyone refused to come like this young man was doing. Then again, considering who his mother was, she shouldn't be surprised that he was turning out to be different from everyone else. Shaking her head and gathering her somewhat scattered wits, she opened her mouth and said, "Young one, you have nothing to fear. The meeting with the king should be brief, no more than a month or so, and he will return you-"

Harry opened eyes that he apparently had closed during the kiss that somehow had gone from keeping Draco quiet to utterly sinful and erotic as hell, and turned at the Elf. Hadn't he just told her that he had things to do? Lucius and Severus couldn't wait for an entire month! And knowing his luck, something was bound to happen and simple would quickly turn to complicated.

Glaring darkly, he gathered his magic about him, clutched tightly at Draco and focused on Lucius will all his might. With a soft 'pop' the two disappeared, leaving a shocked and astonished Seer behind, never hearing the end of what she was trying to tell them.

"-just moments after you left... Oh, by the stars and the moon, how did he do that? And what will I tell the King? He won't believe this! No, no, no, this was not supposed to happen! By the stars above, how did he _do_ that?" Mooncrest asked, leaping to her feet. Leaving her harp behind, she set off to seek an audience with the King, wringing her hands as she ran. Never before in recorded time had this happened. Why hadn't the Seers predicted this? An event of this magnitude was usually well documented long before it happened. How could they have missed something like this? Then again, the boy truly was his mother's son. This was just the kind of thing Silversky would have done. Chuckling ruefully, Mooncrest increased her speed; suddenly she couldn't wait to inform the King and his Queen of the weird and utterly strange encounter.

HPDM

Lucius and Severus were sitting curled up comfortably at opposite ends of one of the sofas, sipping a chilled glass of white wine, plotting Remus Lupin's demise. They were both well aware that Harry probably wouldn't allow them to put any of the plans they were making into play, but they were Slytherins, and a Slytherin always had a plan for any and all eventualities. A true Slytherin more often than not had ten plans in place, covering every angle of every situation they were likely to encounter.

Still, they both choked on their wine when suddenly, with a magical backlash that was enormous, causing every hair on their body to stand on end, Draco and Harry appeared in a pile on the floor before their feet.

"Draco! Harry? What happened to you? I thought you were in your bed, sleeping," Lucius exclaimed once he had managed to cough the wine out of his lungs. Scrambling to his feet, the blond forgot all about dignity as he fell to his knees next to the boys, taking in their sopping wet state, and Draco's shell shocked look. Harry just looked angry and determined.

"What in Salazar's name happened to the two of you?" Severus asked, grabbing hold of Harry's arm and hauling him to his feet. "Never mind, what you need is a hot shower," he added, taking note of the mud clinging to the boy's feet. "A hot shower and a hot drink. Once you are warmed up you can tell us about the latest calamity you have somehow managed to get embroiled in," Severus ordered, steering Harry towards the brunet's bedroom, leaving no room for arguments.

Lucius opened his mouth to argue anyway, his instincts screaming at him to find out just what had happened to put his son and his mate in such a state. Only the fact that Draco chose that moment to start shivering, sneezing three times in a row, caused the older blond to pause and realise the value of his mate's orders.

"Come, Draco, a hot shower probably will do you good," Lucius said, helping his son to climb to his feet.

"B-but D-dad," Draco tried to protest, his teeth chattering from both cold and shock.

"You can tell me later, son, once you are standing under a spray of hot water," Lucius ordered, giving the boy a gentle shove to get him moving.

HPDM

When Mooncrest finally arrived at the royal throne room, she was not surprised to see a group the king's guards standing there. She was, however, surprised to see them look so tense. And she was even more astonished when she found her way banned by two crossed pikes.

Glowering darkly at the leader of the guard she snapped, "Let me pass, I have important news for the King."

"I am sorry, High Seeker, but we have been ordered not to let anyone pass. The kingdom is under attack," the head guard informed her in a rush.

"Under attack? Nonsense! Let me through, you imbeciles!" Mooncrest snapped, waving her hand impatiently, causing the men to fly to the sides, leaving her a clear path. She was not in the mood to try and explain what the surge was that everyone no doubt had felt earlier.

"Your majesty, I bear news," Mooncrest called out the moment she made into the throne room, relieved to see the King sitting there, looking well albeit rather pale.

"Moon? Do you know what caused the wards to flare just now? The backwash of magic all but sent me to my ancestors, giving me a headache that is making me wish the magic had succeeded in killing me," the King groused, slumping slightly in relief.

Ignoring the dark looks from the Generals, they were always all too ready to look for a conflict, if you asked her. _Honestly, didn't they learn anything during the war with the Vampires?_ Mooncrest wondered. Then again, what use was a soldier if there is no enemy to fight? Shaking her head, the Seeker walked up to her King and childhood friend.

"Yes, you majesty, it was your long lost grand son," she replied, starting to feel proud of the boy now that the shock was beginning to taper off.

The King straightened on his throne, looking searchingly into eyes the colour of Forget-me-not. Seeing the truth, he gracefully climbed to his feet, his headache momentarily forgotten. "You are all dismissed. There is no danger to the kingdom. I will call a meeting at a later date filling you in on what is happening," he said imperiously, gently grasping Mooncrest's arm and guiding her to his private study.

Sitting down into a comfortable leather chair, sipping from the goblet of fruit juice one of the servants had brought him, the king looked expectantly at the Seeker. "Well?" he asked when she didn't start talking soon enough.

"I felt the energies of the elements calling to me, so I made another attempt at calling to our Lost One," Mooncrest said, searching out her words carefully, wanting to give her friend as much information as possible.

"I was astonished when I made contact with him, and much more quickly than I have ever managed in the past. He was standing in the middle of a thunderstorm, one that I believe he called upon himself. The storm... it did not feel natural. Then again, neither did the meadow they were standing in," Mooncrest mused, talking more to herself than truly making a report.

"They?"

"Yes, it would seem our Lost One has found himself a mate. And a strong one at that. They haven't bonded yet, apparently, someone has informed him that he needs your blessing first."

"Show me," the King commanded, and Mooncrest willingly shared her memories with the man who had been searching for his missing child for so long.

HPDM

"Yes, that boy is of the same blood as my daughter Silversky," Silverwind, the current ruler of the Elves said as he emerged from the memory, his emotions threatening to choke him. "There can be no doubt. He has her eyes, not to mention her temper. And he is positively reeking with the Silver magic. I can't believe that he managed to leave just like that, and taking his mate with him. It is most impressive. No wonder I'm suffering from a headache the size of the moon."

The king feel silent, attempting to sort everything out in his mind. His grandson had been returned to them. Well, almost. The boy was stubborn and had refused to come, but Silverwind found that he was more intrigued than vexed with the child. Besides, it spoke well for the boy's character that he refused to turn his back on those he considered family.

And it spoke well of his future mate that he and his family had managed to inspire such loyalty in Silverwind's grandson. Elves were notorious for not trusting easily, and for one of them to turn back on the call to come home...

"It is a pity you did not get their names. It would have made finding them that much easier," Silverwind mused, still deep in thought.

"I am sorry, my King, for bungling up so badly. If I had phrased my reply better, the boy wouldn't have felt the need to leave so quickly and..."

Silverwind held up a hand to stem the Seeker's apology. "It is not your fault. Forces are at work here that I can not see. We simply know too little to fully understand my grandsons' reasoning. By the stars! I seldom understood my own daughter's reasoning, and I knew her for most of her life!"

Mooncrest reached out and gently took hold of one of Silverwind's hands, offering her support. The loss of the King's youngest daughter still weighed heavily on the man, and no matter how much they had searched, they had never found even a hint of her presence in any of the neighbouring realms. It was as if she had been swallowed up by the earth itself.

"What are you going to do?" Mooncrest asked when the silence began to stretch.

Silverwind shrugged his shoulders. "I will get in touch with the Veela court. They have always kept close tabs on their people and should know who this Draco boy is. From the way they were talking, it would appear that the Veela's father was unable to bond with his true mate, which should make it even easier to search the court's archives. Hmm, I wonder why no one has tried to be in contact with me yet? Clearly, they know of my grandson's inheritance, since they knew they needed my blessing before bonding."

The two Elves fell silent, each contemplating the mystery that had been presented to them.

"Come my friend. We need answers, and we will not find them here, while sitting on our-- Stars above!" Silverwind cried out in alarm as there was a flash of fire, and then a Phoenix was in the air in front of him, trilling soothingly and looking very pleased with itself.

"You were saying?" Mooncrest asked, smiling mischievously, unable to help herself.

The king gave her a dark look, before accepting the scroll tied neatly to the bird's leg. Checking carefully, making sure there was nothing present that meant him harm, Silverwind unrolled the scroll and started to read.

_To the King of the Elven Realm._

_Your Majesty,_

_I am writing to you in concern of one of your subjects. _

_My name is Lucius Malfoy, and I am part Veela; as is my son, Draconus Malfoy. My son recently turned sixteen as did his mate, one Harry Potter, more commonly known in the human world as the Boy Who Lived._

_A few days ago, we discovered that Harry no longer is a human wizard, but that he in fact is an Elf. I understand that he has had several dreams about your Seeker, but that he has resisted the call for some reason. I am not sure even the boy himself know why._

_Talking with the paintings of Hogwarts' four Founders, I have been made aware that you need to approve of your subject's mate before a bonding is possible, which is why I am writing this letter. I wish to ask permission for my son to court and bond with one of your people._

_Helga Hufflepuff has assured me that Fawkes is capable of finding you and he has graciously agreed to deliver this letter into your hand. I am anxiously awaiting your reply,_

_Lucius Malfoy._

"Well, this should simplify things when trying to locate them," Silverwind commented, still not believing that the answers he had been looking for had literally falling into his lap. Unfortunately, the letter only raised more questions than it answered, and he felt that his original plan of action was the best way to go. The Veela court should be able to inform him of what kind of people these Malfoys were, making it easier for him to evaluate them when he finally met them eye to eye.

Eyeing the Phoenix with some curiosity, Silverwind said, "Your message has been delivered. Go back to your master."

Fawkes gave the Elf a penetrating look, trilled once and disappeared in a ring of flames.

HPDM

"Son, can you tell me what happened to the two of you? What in Salazar's name made you think that a swim in the lake was a good idea? And with your clothes on? For that matter, how did you manage to sneak outside without either Severus or I noticing you?" Lucius asked, sitting on the edge of the bathtub that Draco was currently longing inside. The air was filled with the scent of vanilla and green apples, and the blond teen was busily glaring at his father.

"Har, har, very funny, Father. For your information, we did not take a bath in the lake. We had another dream. Only this time, Harry arrived before I did, and he felt it prudent to summon up a violent thunderstorm with pouring rain and everything. We were soaked while I was trying to talk him into stop playing with the lightening," Draco stated haughtily, shuddering as he remembered the lightening bolts that kept landing alarmingly close.

Lucius eyed his only son with a knowing look. "I take it that is not all that happened?"

"You are not even close!" Draco said, rolling his eyes. Swiftly he explained all that had happened, and Lucius couldn't help but frown in worry. Would the Seeker try again, now that she had established contact once? Would Harry be able to resist the call again? And if he couldn't, would he be stuck in the Elven realm?

"I don't know what to tell you, son. My suggestion to you is to make sure to always stay close to Harry, especially when you sleep. Fawkes should have delivered my letter to the King by now, which hopefully will smooth things over on that end," Lucius said, dipping his fingers in the warm water, swirling his fingers through the bubbles as he thought, leaving abstract patterns in their wake.

"I'm not going to worry," Draco said, his voice filled with conviction. "If Harry managed to find a way to bring us back from that Seeker lady, then I just know that he will find a way to come back to me, no matter who has him, and no matter what obstacles they place in his path. He loves me, dad, and I am not going to ever doubt that again," Draco added, looking up at his father, his eyes shining bright with emotions.

"I am starting to realise that, Draco," Lucius said, thinking of the proposal he had received earlier that evening. "Harry is a remarkable young man, isn't he? I am starting to believe that nothing is impossible where he is concerned. I am also starting to see that once he allows someone inside that well guarded heart of his, there is nothing he won't do for them with no thought as to what he might gain from them in return.

"Weasley, Granger, Dumbledore... They are all fools for not having realised this years ago. Someone like Harry you only meet once in a lifetime, and if you toss aside the gift he gives you, you can never get it back."

HPDM

"Harry, why did you fight the Seeker so hard? I realise that this is not the best of times for you to disappear, but I am certain Lucius and I could have put together a story that would have fooled both Albus and the Dark Lord. At least temporarily."

Harry glanced over at Severus Snape, feeling heat suffuse his face. At least the other man had waited until he was sitting in the bath with bubbles up to his neck before entering the bathroom. Still, Harry felt extremely weird taking a bath being supervisioned by his Potions master. "You know the answer to that question, sir," Harry replied, looking down at the bubbles that was protecting him from prying eyes.

"As a matter of fact, no I do not. Which is why I am asking you," Severus said, feeling genuinely perplexed.

Harry's eyes snapped back to Snape's, and it was his turn to not comprehend. "But... I promised I would remove the Dark Mark, sir," he said, his bewilderment bleeding through into his voice. "I promised you that you would be free. Free from that monster, and free to bond with the man you love. You have even begun the fast for Merlin's sake! How was I suppose to just disappear for Salazar knows how long? Was I to just leave you hanging while I went gallivanting around in the Elven realm!" Harry cried out, starting to get agitated, not understanding how Severus couldn't see, couldn't understand what he was feeling.

"I told Draco that everyone in your and Lucius' lives have let you down. Your families, Dumbledore, even the Dark Lord. Well I for one am _not_ going to let you down!" Harry said fiercely, green fires reappearing at the back of his eyes. "I made you and Lucius a promise, and by all that is holy, I am going to keep it, and no kings, and no one else for that matter, are going to stop me from freeing you come Friday night! So mote it be!"

"Oh, Harry," Severus said, suddenly feeling all choked up. How badly he had misjudged this young man. For so long, he had been convincing himself that Harry was just as his father, arrogant and big-headed. When the truth was that Harry was as different from James as he could get. "I misjudged you so badly. I never saw who you were, I merely saw what I wanted to see. I am sorry-"

"Please, there is no need to apologise, Sev," Harry said, leaning forward and placing a wet hand on Severus', completely forgetting about his naked state. "You had every right hating me. My father and his friends were gits to you, treating you horrible. With the life you have been forced to lead, it is no wonder you treated me the way you did. I understand, sir. Truly, I do."

"Oh, Harry," Severus said once more. Acting on an impulse, he leaned forward and pulled Harry into a tight hug, not caring that he got rather wet in the process.

Harry didn't mind either; he just returned the hug just as fiercely, hugging the other man even tighter when he felt a few wet tears drip down his neck.

Severus knew he should feel appalled. Blubbering like some weak minded fool. But he couldn't help himself. Never before in his life had anyone stood up to him, caring that much for him and his needs, putting him first before their own needs, and he felt overwhelmed. There was Lucius, of course, but other than the Veela... For as long as he could remember, Severus had always been struggling on his own, being forced to take care of himself the best he could.

That Harry was prepared to postpone his own happiness, even willing to wait with his own bonding just so that Severus and Lucius could go through with their bonding plans, it was... humbling. And Severus swore then and there to always be there for the Elf, and do everything within his powers to help, guide, and support Harry for as long as he lived.

HPDM

"Should I feel jealous?" Lucius asked amused, leaning on the doorjamb and watching the touching scene of Severus and Harry clutching tightly at each other.

"Very funny, Luce," Severus said dryly, discreetly wiping away a few stray tears. "I take it that you have managed to lure Draco out of his bath? I swear that boy could bathe for a week if you'd let him."

Lucius snickered and walked deeper into the bathroom. "Are the two of you alright?" he asked, eyeing the two brunets, taking in the new level of understanding that seemed to exist between the two of them.

Harry looked searchingly at Severus, reassured at the small smile the man managed to dredge up for him. "Yeah, we are both fine. And if you would be so kind as to get out of here, I'd like to get out of this bath before I turn completely into a prune. I would also like to have a drink of that hot cocoa with whipped cream you promised me," Harry said with an overly sweet smile.

"Impudent brat, no one said anything about hot cocoa, with or without whipped cream," Severus said with a snort, but there was none of his usual bite.

"Hey, you promised Draco and me a hot drink. Now, I don't know what you consider a hot drink, but I for one are in the mood for hot cocoa," Harry said with a mischievous grin, allowing his gaze to linger at Severus' groin, making his innuendo perfectly clear.

"_Insolent_ brat. Draco is having a bad influence on you," Severus stated with a smirk, ushering Lucius and himself out of the bathroom. "Come, Lucius, I don't know about you, but I am not in the mood to talk a Veela or two out of a snit tonight."

"Who is in a snit?" Draco asked, wandering into Harry's bedroom, running his fingers through his hair, attempting to untangle the last knots.

Severus just shook his head, turned his godson around, kicking the bathroom door shut with a foot, and dragged the two blonds into the living room. No way in hell was he going to even try and explain their conversation to Draco. Under the bemused gaze of the two Veelas, Severus busied himself with the summoning of a house-elf, placing an order of the requested cocoa

HPDM

"Shayell, you have received a message from the Elven King."

Shayell, the leader of the Veela people looked at her young aid, rising a well shaped eyebrow. It was late, in fact, she was about to retire for the night. "Have I now? What in the world does Silverwind want with the Veelas? I don't think I have heard from pointy ears in... why it must be close to twenty years since we last spoke."

Shaking her head to herself, Shayell accepted the scroll and unwond it.

_To my dear and fair Shayell,_

_How are life treating you? Have you got any wrinkles yet? Have your numerous offspring brought any grey hairs to those lovely locks of yours? (That reminds me, Eaglefoot are still nagging me to ask you to donate a hair or two. He is still waiting to do that experiment to find out if royal Veela hair is any different from normal Veela hair. I do wish you would reconsider and just send the man a few hairs. I am sure he would appreciate any old hair from you, even an odd grey one.)_

"Hmph! Grey hairs my foot! He knows very well that we Veela don't get grey hairs! He's just jealous since Elves do!" Shayell said smugly, running a hand through her silky, white blond locks.

_Down to business, old girl. One of my Lost One's have apparently formed a bond with one of your subjects, one Draconus Malfoy. The boy -- one Harry Potter -- even went so far as to refuse my Seeker, claiming he had a prior engagement he just couldn't miss. Naturally, I would like to know more about these Malfoys. What type of people are they to garner such strong support?_

_Write me when you can, your shyness, I am eagerly awaiting your reply._

_Silverwind _

_King of the Elven Realm._

Shayell stared down at the letter, her jaw hanging open in shock. Harry Potter was an _Elf?_ Since when! Bonding with one of _her_ people? Since when! Jumping up from her chair, the Veela leader stormed towards her bedroom, shouting for her personal maid. The later hour be damned, she was going to have to go on a trip to the next dimension. Damn, but she hated going to the Elven Realm, she always felt so inadequate among the beautiful elves. Not to mention that they were all immune to the Allure, so she couldn't even have some fun mess with people while she was there.

Snarling under her breath, Shayell hollered for her maid a second time, starting to issue orders the moment she entered the room. "Miralee! Oh, there you are. Pack my bags! Summon the court! Bring me the file on Lucius Malfoy and his son! We are going to go to see the Elves!"

* * *

Next Time:  
We finally find out what the potion Draco prepared does to Ron and Pansy. Revenge is sweet.  
Until Then… 


	54. Revenge Comes In Many Forms

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter.

Thank you Vaughn for your help with Beta-reading this chapter.

* * *

_Revenge comes in many forms._

_Wednesday, Sept. 18_

Lucius sat at the Head Table, sipping on a cup of tea. It was a pain having to sit in the Great Hall when fasting, but he had promised the boys he'd be here. Besides, there was no way he was allowing Severus to suffer alone, so he gritted his teeth and endured. After all, he had a lot of experience when it came to enduring. Biting back a sigh, Lucius sipped some more tea. How he hated to endure; that was not living, that was existing.

Then McGonagall picked up her knife and clanged it against her goblet. Immediately, the noise level in the hall died down as the students turned their attention from filling their stomachs to finding out what was going on.

Slowly, McGonagall climbed to her feet, ignoring the hiss coming from the Headmaster. "May I have your attention, please? Thank you," she began, although she already had everyone's eyes trained on her. Looking out over the sea of faces, the stern professor couldn't help but smile slightly. She couldn't wait to see the students' reactions to her news.

"The other day, a student came to me and asked me about some extra credit work they wanted to do. They had found an old book containing a rather exciting concept, and after careful consideration, I wish for the entire school to partake in an experiment. Which means there has been a slight change in plans. Beginning on Monday, instead of the scheduled lesson, each of you will be given a rock crystal, which you then will be transfiguring into a pet. We will continue with this until every student has a pet of their choice. However, I still expect you to turn in the homework I have already assigned you. This will not be used as an excuse for not doing it," Minerva said, looking around the room sternly, hiding a smile at the groans from her fifth, sixth and seventh years. Yes, she did know her students all too well.

Clearing her throat to regain the students' attention, McGonagall forged on with her speech. "According to the author of the book this experiment is based upon, it is quite possible to bring a transfigured animal to life if it is given enough love and attention. By the end of the school year, we will examine your transformed pets and see if there is any merit to this claim."

Suddenly, a scroll appeared next to every plate in the hall, and Minerva picked up her own copy. "This scroll contains the different animals you may choose from. I suggest you read it through thoroughly, and consider carefully what type of animal you wish to create. I also recommend that you find out all there is to know about your chosen creature, taking careful note of colorations and such. This is not the time to be fanciful, so I strongly recommend against acquiring a pink bunny, or an orange gerbil. If you are interested in an animal not mentioned on the scroll, please come and speak to me in private. Also, your choice has to be cleared by me before you are allowed to even attempt to transfigure the pet you want. Feel free to come and discuss your wishes with me at any time.

"Remember, if you wish for this experiment to succeed, you will be spending a lot of time with your pet, bringing it with you just about everywhere, even to most classes. I strongly suggest you pick something you can live with," McGonagall stated. Giving the student body one last stern look, she sat back down, resuming her focus on her breakfast. A quick heating charm had her tea steaming once more and she took an appreciative sip, reaching for a piece of toast.

At first, the students just sat there and stared at her. Then they dived for the scrolls. Soon the room was filled with their excited chatter and exclamations.

At the Head Table, the atmosphere was grimmer.

"Minerva! What do you think you are _doing_!" Albus hissed. He was livid and was working hard on hiding that fact from the students.

"I am conducting an experiment," McGonagall replied calmly.

"An experiment!" Dumbledore said in a strangled voice. "And you did not think it wise to discuss this matter with me beforehand?"

Minerva chewed on her mouthful of food. "I am well within my rights as a professor to do this. None of the animals are particularly dangerous, so the student body will not be placed in danger. Classes might be slightly disrupted for the first few days, but the children should soon adjust to their new pets, as will the teachers. The only concern I had was for the Potions class, since I don't think bringing in a lot of animals into that room would be beneficial to the students' health. Fortunately, Severus has already come up with a solution, and the house-elves are working on putting things together," she added, indicating that the matter was closed.

"Harry put you up to this, didn't he?" Albus said, looking down at the Gryffindor table. "This is his way to get back at me for those blasted horses, isn't it?"

McGonagall lifted an eyebrow. "What about those horses?"

Albus shook his head and turned his attention back to his Deputy Headmistress. He would deal with Harry later. "I cancelled the spell on those rocks, informing Harry that he was to spend his time with his friends, rather than gallivanting about on those creatures, causing the other students to become jealous. After all, the school only sanctions three types of animals, and horses are not on that list," Dumbledore explained primly.

"Oh, Albus, I can't believe how childish you can be at times," Minerva sighed, looking disappointed, causing Lucius to choke on his tea.

"Childish?" Dumbledore hissed, looking like he wanted to hex the woman for her impudence.

"Yes, childish!" McGonagall snapped. "If Harry had come to me, I would have told him to re-make those horses and to have fun. You know very well that that list only applies to the first years! Besides, it isn't like we have put much effort into enforcing it. Remember Ronald Weasley and his pet rat?" Minerva asked archly.

It was Dumbledore's turn to sigh; there wasn't much he could say to that. "I still say you should have discussed this matter with me first, before getting the children involved. They will be most disappointed when you cancel this little... project."

"I will do no such thing!" Minerva snapped, highly affronted. If she had been in her animal form, she would have been hissing, taking a swipe at the intolerable man with a paw filled with claws. "As I already stated, I am well within my rights as a professor to launch a project like this. I will not allow you to stop me. Have you any ideas what this could mean if it works? This could open up an entire new dimension when it comes to magic and what we can do with it!" McGonagall said, looking extremely exited, temporarily forgetting her annoyance at the Headmaster.

"Yes, I, for one, find this extremely fascinating, and I can't wait to read the book. The theory behind this concept sound very interesting! Too bad Filius got his hands on it first," Sprout said with a mock pout aimed at her colleague. "I wonder if this concept could be applied to plants?"

Dumbledore looked like he was about to have a stroke. "You discussed this with the other Heads, but you didn't discuss it with _me_?" he asked in a strangled voice.

"Of course I talked it over with the other professors," McGonagall said, calmly picking up her teacup. "They needed to know, especially since the students will be bringing their pets with them to class. I sent you a note informing you of the meeting this morning, Albus. It isn't my fault you didn't bother to attend," she added with some asperity.

"You sent me a note? I never got your message, Minerva. Are you sure-"

"Are calling me a liar, Albus?" McGonagall asked in a low vice, sounding as if she was beginning to get furious.

"Ah, no, of course not, my dear. Forgive me, that is not at all what I meant," Dumbledore swiftly said, trying to do some damage repair. "I am only saying that I didn't get your message."

McGonagall harrumphed, only slightly mollified. Pointedly, she returned to her breakfast, ignoring the Headmaster's attempts to talk to her, not about to forgive him anytime soon.

HPDM

Harry and Draco listened to the announcement with interest, picking up their scrolls when everyone else did, doing their best to act as if this was news to them. Having discussed things carefully, Harry had agreed with McGonagall that they should try and keep quiet about who the student was behind the project, neither wanting things to be blown out of proportion just because he was the Boy Who Lived.

Both boys utilised a sneaky eavesdropping charm, listening in on the teachers talking, and they had a hard time containing their amusement as McGonagall tore a strip off the Headmaster. Served him right!

"This is so exciting!" Ginny exclaimed, effectively breaking the boys' concentration. "I can't believe that we will actually be part of something like this! I mean, just imagine if this works!" she gushed, waving the scroll about, almost hitting Neville with it.

"I'm just glad to finally be able to get another pet other than Trevor," Neville said with a small, satisfied smile. "Gran wouldn't allow me to get anything else, stating that I was too busy with my plants."

Harry snorted. "No offence, Nev, but I really don't like your grandmother."

"Some days I'm not particularly fond of her either," Neville said with a sad smile, a far away look in his eyes.

"Hey! No depressing thoughts, you guys," Ginny stated sternly. "Focus on what type of pet you want instead. Oh, how I wish I was a sixth year!" she added with a sad sigh.

Draco snorted into his pumpkin juice. "Let me guess, you want a Phoenix, right?"

"For your information, I was more interested in the Gryphon," Ginny said haughtily, before breaking down into giggles.

"Girls!" Draco muttered with a shake of his head.

Harry bit back his own giggles, looking down at the scroll in his hands.

_Possible choices for a pet._

_First - second year:_

_Bird (small)  
Bunny  
Gerbil  
Guinea pig  
Hamster  
Snake (non-magical, non-venomous)_

_Third - fifth year:_

_Bird (medium to large)  
Kitten  
Lizard  
Puppy  
Snake (non-magical)_

_Sixth - seventh year:_

_Bird of prey  
Cat  
Gryphon  
Phoenix  
Snake (magical)_

"Any idea what you want to go for?" Harry asked, glancing up at Neville.

"I've always wanted a falcon," the shy Gryffindor admitted, looking down at his plate.

"Not a bad choice," Draco mused. "Not the animal I would have picked, but I think it will suit you."

"Thanks, Draco. What type of animal will you be doing?"

"I'm not sure," the blond said thoughtfully. "It would be wicked to have a Phoenix, but I've always wanted to have a cat, a panther perhaps, or a snow leopard."

Harry tilted his head to the side, an idea forming at the back of his head. "I'd go for the cat," he said calmly, a wicked little smile playing on his lips.

Draco gave him a look and arched an eyebrow, but Harry just shook his head, indicating that now was not the time.

"What about you, Harry?" Ginny asked, missing the by-play, as she had her nose in the scroll, trying to figure out what animal she wanted.

"I'm not sure," Harry admitted, and he wasn't. He hadn't actually considered what type of animal to pick when he had started the ball rolling, too intent on getting back at Dumbledore. "I'm guessing everyone is expecting me to get a snake or a Phoenix, so I'm thinking about getting a cat."

Glancing up and down the table, noting that no one was paying them any attention, Harry gently nudged his boyfriend, who immediately slipped his hand into his robe, carefully pulling out a small bundle. Unwrapping the silk handkerchief in his lap, a small spider came into view, and Harry directed a small tendril of his magic towards it.

Immediately, the spider sprang to life and scuttled up Draco's arm until it could jump onto the table. Keeping a careful eye on its progress, while trying to look as if he wasn't up to something, Harry spent five nerve-racking minutes directing the transfigured spider down the table until it reached where Ron was sitting. Waiting for the right moment, it was with a sigh of relief that Harry had it crawling up the redhead's goblet and jumping inside.

Ron, not having noticed a thing, picked the goblet up and drank the contents down. Suddenly, his eyes bulged and he spat something out, much to the disgust of those sitting around him. The next moment, a high-pitched scream echoed around the room, as Ron flung himself away from the table, wiping his tongue with the sleeve of his robe.

"Mr. Weasley, what is the meaning of this?" McGonagall demanded, already on the move towards the Gryffindor.

"A-a s-s-spider!" Ron gasped, shuddering violently. "There was a big bloody spider in my goblet!" he cried in disbelief, starting to get over his shock.

"Language, Mr. Weasley, five points from Gryffindor."

McGonagall would have said something more, but a second scream was ricocheting across the room, this time coming from the Slytherin table.

"Miss Parkinson, kindly cease causing such a ruckus," Severus said bitingly, giving the girl a dark glower.

"What the bloody hell is happening?" Ron screamed, staring in horror down at his own body.

Over at the Slytherin table, Pansy was having a not so quiet nervous breakdown as well.

"Oh, my!" Minerva said faintly, staring at the blond girl, who was standing where Ronald Weasley had just been, still dressed in his clothes, which were now hanging off the much smaller frame.

"Potter! I'll get you for this!" Ron screamed, pulling his wand and aiming it at Harry.

"Mr. Weasley, put that wand down this instance!" McGonagall seethed, coming out of her stupor. "You will not make any further baseless accusations until we know what has happened, is that understood?"

"Baseless!" Ron cried out in falsetto, causing himself and anyone around to cringe. Pansy Parkinson screeched when she was upset, and it was a most unpleasant sound.

Severus was making his way down to the Slytherin table, where Ronald Weasley could be seen sobbing heartbrokenly into Theodore Nott's shoulder, his clothes actually bursting at the seams. Especially since Pansy had chosen to dress in a rather tight, short skirt that morning. It had ended mid-thigh when she wore it. For Ron, however, it was far too tight, and it barely covered what needed to be covered. The blouse was hanging in tatters, and the robe looked like it was about to fall apart any second. The result was not appealing, and certainly not attractive, and everyone felt rather sorry for Theodore, who was struggling to get the boy off him. Unfortunately for Theo, the arms wrapped around his neck proved to be stronger than they looked, and the more he fought them, the stronger the grip became, until Nott was panting for air, his lips turning slightly blue.

"Miss Parkinson, or should I say Mr. Weasley, stop that caterwauling this instant. And you better let go of Mr. Nott, before he expires from lack of air," Severus said dryly, noting with approval that Weasley's grip instantly lessened, even though he did not let go. When the noisy sobs did not die down, however, he glared darkly at the redhead.

"One might think the world had ended, the way you are sounding. Pull yourself together and report to the hospital wing at once! I am sure Madam Pomfrey will have you back to your charming self in no time," Severus barked, but for once, his stern tone of voice had no effect.

'Ron' merely tightened his grip on Theodore again and continued to sob, adding a wail for effect.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Severus considered his options. In the end, he sighed and jerked his head towards Nott. "Why don't you escort Miss Parkinson, Mr. Nott, since she seems determined to have you for her champion."

If possible, Nott looked even more repulsed, but he nodded his head in acknowledgement of the order. Getting to his feet proved to be difficult though, as Pansy wasn't co-operating in the least. In the end, Severus had to grab her by the scruff of her neck and bodily lift her away from the other boy, ending up ripping the robe in half since the seam in the back decided that it had been abused enough. Once on his feet, Theodore grabbed Pansy's arm none too gently and dragged her out of the hall, intent on getting this assignment over as soon as possible. They were followed by snickers or groans of dismay as the student body came to grips with seeing more of Ronald Weasley than they ever wanted to. This was even worse than when the redhead had ended up bald!

Over by the Gryffindor table, Ron glared hotly at the students, not feeling any happier about what had happened than anyone else. That was _his_ body they were laughing at! Hearing a disparaging comment coming from one of the Ravenclaw girls, Ron snapped and sent off a Bat-Bogey Hex at the girl, whose friends promptly retaliated, sending several Jelly-Legs Jinxes in return.

Before things could escalate further, Minerva stepped in and glared them into submission, removing the wand from Ron's hand. "Ten points from Gryffindor!" she snapped, before hesitating. "Or should that be from Slytherin? Hmm, I think we will settle for detention with Filch instead. Mr. Finnigan, why don't you take Mr. Weasley to the Hospital wing? Take Mr. Thomas with you. Between the two of you, I trust you will manage to make sure no other hexes, jinxes, or curses are cast?"

"Yes, ma'am," Seamus said with a sigh, not happy about being picked for this duty, but not about to say so to his own Head of House.

McGonagall nodded her head in approval, before looking out over the room. She had no idea who was behind this latest mess, though she supposed she could guess. Glancing down the table to where Harry and Draco were sitting, Minerva just shook her head. She didn't know. And frankly, she didn't want to know either. For once, she was perfectly happy to be left in the dark, and to let Severus deal with the troublemakers.

Turning on her heel, she marched back to the Head Table to have one more cup of tea. Maybe it would help delay the headache she could feel form behind her temples. First Albus and now this. What would happen next? Then she cursed silently, just knowing that she had jinxed herself.

HPDM

Albus Dumbledore was not a happy wizard as he stomped down the corridors of Hogwarts on his way to his office. _How _dare_ Minerva start a project of this magnitude and not even ask for my input before going ahead? Who was it that taught her all that she knows? How can she just ignore me like this?_ Dumbledore thought, trying to understand his Deputy Headmistress.

_She has always sought my approval before. What changed? She hasn't spent much time with Harry, so it can't be him influencing her away from me. Blast that boy. He never does what he is supposed to do, _Dumbledore thought morosely, stepping onto the escalator. No matter how many times he rode it, it still gave him a giddy feeling in his stomach, and today he cherished that small piece of levity more than he usually did, truly needing the distraction.

Feeling slightly cheered up, Albus entered his office and went to sit down behind his desk. Plopping a lemon drop into his mouth, the aged wizard enjoying it immensely as the tart lemon taste exploded on his tongue. Dumbledore had always loved his lemon drops, but he had gotten a new appreciation for them ever since that hoodlum had tampered with them. Still, if he ever found out whom the prankster was, Albus was going to string them up by their thumbs and allow Argus to enjoy himself to his heart's content.

Sighing deeply, the Headmaster forced his mind away from those cheerful images, and settled down to try and figure out just what was going on at his school. Harry was supposed to have brought the Malfoys to the side of Light. And, being fair, it looked like the boy had actually succeeded where Dumbledore himself had failed. That fact alone was somewhat galling, and Albus couldn't help but resent Harry for his achievement. Especially since neither Lucius nor Draco had approached him and offered to spy for him and the Order.

Still, there was something else going on between Harry and the Malfoys, and Albus couldn't for the life of him figure out what that something was. Worse, he no longer understood Harry Potter. The boy had changed, and it was not for the better.

The discord between Harry and his friends had carried on into the school year, something he had not counted on. Then again, full blame could not be put on Ron and Hermione. Albus was sure that Draco had helped with keeping the three friends apart. The Malfoys and the Weasleys had never gotten along, and it was unfortunate that Harry had chosen to side with Draco. That had done nothing to cool young Ronald's hot temper, and it certainly had not helped with the situation with Molly.

Dumbledore sighed and plopped another lemon drop into his mouth. What was he to do? He couldn't believe that Harry was still carrying a grudge over what had happened last year. True, the boy had lost Sirius, and he had been furious that night. But why couldn't the boy see that, although what had happened had been unfortunate, it had been necessary, even vital, for Albus to do what he had done? To behave as he had?

Oh, he knew the boy was headstrong and stubborn. More so than his parents, even. Albus had carefully nurtured that stubbornness, realising early that it would come in handy in the fight against Voldemort. But Harry wasn't supposed to turn that stubbornness against him! Harry was supposed to listen to him, and to do as he dictated. He wasn't supposed to question every decision that needed to be made, and he was absolutely not supposed to go his own way!

Harry was beholden to Albus, and Dumbledore would be damned if he allowed the boy to forget that fact. Clearly, Harry had forgotten just who it was that had helped him along on his adventures. Who was it that had given the boy the invisibility cloak? Who was it that had shown him how the Mirror of Erised worked? Who was it that had always kept a watchful eye on him, making sure he and his friends didn't come to harm? Albus Dumbledore, that's who. Not Severus. Not Minerva. Albus. How could Harry have forgotten that already?

He wouldn't have thought it possible, but the more he thought about it, the more it became clear. Harry had somehow managed to lure both Severus and Minerva over to his side. Harry had somehow managed to lure two of his most staunch supporters away from him.

Albus' face morphed into a deep scowl. Well, he was not going to just sit back and allow it to happen! He was going to remind Severus just who it was that he served. More importantly, he was going to remind him of _why_ he was serving Albus Dumbledore, and if he wasn't careful, he might find himself back in Azkaban, spy or not!

As for Minerva, he would have to tread more carefully with her, since she was his Deputy Headmistress, and as such, wielded quite a lot of power. He hadn't had any problems with that, as long as she had been totally dependent on him. But if she was going to start moving behind his back, then maybe it was time to find another Deputy. Perhaps Filius? He wasn't in the Order, alas, but maybe that was a bonus?

Shaking his head sadly, Albus shifted in his seat, knocking aside a parchment that had been perched precariously on a stack of letters. Absentmindedly, he summoned it to him with a flick of his wrist, his mind still on Minerva's peculiar behaviour. Why had she gone behind his back like that? Did she truly believe that her claim of having sent him a note would save her from his wrath?

Glancing down at the parchment, Albus froze in shock as the words written on it slowly sank in.

_Albus, _

_I am calling a staff meeting tomorrow morning, at 6:30. _

_Please be there._

_Have made the most exciting discovery. _

_Minerva._

She actually _had_ sent him a message? But...? Why hadn't he noticed it before? Had whoever left it for him, made sure he'd only gotten it _after_ the meeting was over? Who would do such a thing?

Dobby!

Dumbledore froze as he suddenly remembered the miserable creature. That blasted house-elf! Always falling over himself in his eagerness to please Harry. If that elf was responsible for Albus missing the meeting, then he would find himself fired!

Cursing vividly, Dumbledore shot to his feet, intent on locating Minerva and finding out just how she had had the note delivered.

HPDM

"Albus? Is something the matter?" McGonagall asked, clasping a hand to her chest. She had almost jumped out of her skin when the door to her classroom was slammed open and a livid looking Headmaster had stormed inside. Whatever had happened, it had to be bad.

"Oh, no, did something happen with Mr. Weasley and Miss Parkinson? Wasn't Poppy able to treat them?" she asked, dismay and dread filling her very being.

"Poppy? Minerva, what are you talking about?" Albus asked, momentarily sidetracked. "I came to talk to you about that note you sent me."

McGonagall sighed in relief, but then fury swept through her, and she pinched her lips together. Grasping hold of the Headmaster's arm, she bundled him out of her classroom, following right behind him.

Jerkily, she put up a Silencing Charm before she tore into the man she had always considered her best friend and mentor. At the moment, he was neither. "Albus! What is the matter with you?" she asked, exasperated. "How _dare_ you come barging in like this, utterly disrupting my class, I might add. And for what? Wanting to talk about my note?" Minerva's voice was steadily rising, and Dumbledore was suddenly feeling very thankful for the Silencing Charm.

"I apologise for disturbing you, my dear, but this _is_ important," Albus said, casually dismissing her concerns, unwittingly fuelling her ire. "I finally found the note; it was on top of some other papers. But, Minerva, it wasn't there earlier! Who delivered the note for you? Was it Dobby? I wouldn't put it past that elf to hide it from me until it was far too late for me to attend your meeting. I'm sure Harry put him up to it," Albus muttered, forgetting about McGonagall for a moment.

"Albus... are you well? Are you coming down with something?" Minerva asked in concern, reaching up to feel if Albus' temperature was elevated, peering at his eyes as she did, looking for signs of illness.

Dumbledore batted her hand away. "I assure you, I am feeling perfectly fine!" he said with a huff.

"I'm not so sure. Perhaps you should let Poppy look you over, just in case."

"Minerva, I assure you, I am not ill. Now about that note-"

"Albus! I sent the messages with Hibby. You _know_ that I always use her in matters concerning the school. And why in Merlin's name would Harry want to interfere with your mail? Albus, you are not making sense."

"Hibby? You are sure?" Albus asked, looking remarkably like a kicked puppy.

"Yes, Albus, I am quite sure. If there was nothing else, may I resume teaching my class now?" McGonagall asked archly.

Dumbledore never answered her. He silently walked away, deep in thought, never even noticing the worried look McGonagall sent after him. Making a snap decision, Minerva snapped her fingers, calling out for Hibby.

A petit elf appeared at her side, bowing deeply.

"I want you to deliver a message for me, Hibby," McGonagall said, scribbling hurriedly on a conjured piece of paper. "Here, take this to Poppy immediately."

"Yes, Mistress," Hibby said, accepted the message and popped away.

Frowning with worry and displeasure, Minerva went back inside her classroom, where her students were sitting and talking instead of working, as she had expected. With a few scathing remarks she had everyone back to order. However, her worries remained, and she couldn't help but wonder if someone had somehow put a spell on the Headmaster, or if he indeed was coming down with something.

HPDM

Albus was not in a good mood when he returned to his office. He was surer than ever that something fishy was going on behind his back. The question was: who was it? And why?

"I say, Albus, what put a bee in your bonnet?" one of the portraits asked, looking down at Dumbledore with a raised eyebrow.

"Someone interfered with my mail," Albus said with a tired sigh. Then he perked up. Of course, the paintings! They should know when the note arrived. Albus felt like slapping himself on the forehead for not thinking of them sooner. "Did any of you notice when Hibby arrived with a note for me from Minerva?" he asked, fully expecting to be told that Hibby never had arrived.

"Last night, around eleven," Phineas Black replied, giving Dumbledore an unreadable look. "You were busy staring out the window at the time, waving for her to put the letter on your desk. She did and then popped away."

"She actually spoke to me?" Albus asked, incredulous.

"Of course she did. Heard her myself," Dippet said, nodding his head vigorously. "Hibby is a reliable elf, you know that, Albus," he went on, his tone turning chiding. "She served me faithfully for years before you took over. I never understood why you suddenly refused her services and shuttled her onto Minerva. I still say you made a big mistake there, old chap."

Albus no longer listened, his mind too busy trying to puzzle out why he didn't remember the event. Maybe Minerva was right, and he was coming down with something? Feeling confused and bewildered, Dumbledore decided that maybe a trip to the hospital wing wasn't a waste of his time.

HPDM

"Albus? I must say, I expected you to come sooner," Poppy said in greeting when Dumbledore walked inside the infirmary.

"Hello, Poppy. Something came up," Albus said vaguely, not wanting to talk about his confusing morning. "So, what can you tell me?"

"That I have two most unhappy students in my ward," Poppy replied with a snort, turning around and leading the way towards the only occupied beds she had at the moment. "Whoever it is that is behind this, they were extremely clever," Poppy went on to explain, realising that the Headmaster didn't have any idea yet what had actually transpired.

"From what I have been able to figure out, a very old potion was used. If only one of them had drunk it down, nothing would have happened. But since both of them took it, they have exchanged bodies. The essence, the very foundation of who they are, that has not switched. Miss Parkinson is still Miss Parkinson, although she looks and sounds like Mr. Weasley. However, she still has her own mind and her own skills. She has not, for example, suddenly acquired a skill or appetite for flying, and Mr Weasley has not gotten her skill for Potions, to mention but one example," Poppy said dryly, giving the two extremely disgruntled students an amused look.

"I see," Dumbledore said, trying to figure out what to do with the pair. "How long before it wears off?"

"I haven't the faintest idea," Poppy said cheerfully. Too cheerfully, to the other's mind.

"Poppy?" Albus asked, putting a note of pleading into his voice. He truly did not need this on top of everything else.

"I'm sorry, Headmaster, but I really can not say how long before the effect wears off. It could be a week, it could be a month. If they are truly unfortunate, it could take until Christmas."

"Christmas!" two voices chorused. "But! I can't go home looking like this!" Ron protested hotly, looking down at himself in dismay. The twins would never let him forget the fact that he looked like a bloody girl. And not just any girl. No, he had to look like a blasted Slytherin!

"As if _I_ can go home looking like _this_!" Pansy hissed, her face turning into a lovely shade of red. "My father will hear about this, rest assured, and he will make sure you lose your job for not being able to counter whatever it was that was done to me," Pansy continued, turning her attention to Pomfrey, looking and sounding rather dangerous.

Ron blinked, impressed in spite of himself.

Poppy was not amused. "Now look here, Miss," she said, rounding on the girl. "The potion you and Mr. Weasley have consumed is a very old one. Not much is known of it today, other than its name and its effect. It is usually referred to as The Switch, and it was last used to switch the bodies of Miss Anna Petrenkova and Mr. Ivan Deporov. The event took place right before the World Duel Championship of 992. Mr. Deporov was a dead cert for the first place, but due to the potion, he ended up last.

"Miss Petrenkova, on the other hand, had similar difficulties, and had to take a hiatus from her job as leading designer for the French king. Neither was happy about their circumstances. The culprit was never found. It took them over a year to get back their bodies back. If you wish to speed up the process, then I suggest you hurry up and learn enjoying your new body. Examples from the past have shown that the sooner the victims learn to get along with their new gender, the quicker the potions wear off. No one knows why this is, but studies have shown that it is true.

"And another thing, you should be very careful with what you do in your new bodies. It is rare, but it has happened in the past that the girl managed to get herself pregnant," Poppy said, a wicked smile on her lips.

Both Ron and Pansy looked green, and Pansy asked almost fearfully, "What happened to the baby?"

"It was transferred along with the body, and was born about eight months later, alive, healthy, and happy."

"Weasley! Don't you dare go and get knocked up!" Pansy screamed, throwing her pillow at the boy now wearing her body, since she didn't have access to her wand.

"As if I'd want to get bloody pregnant!" Ron exclaimed, turning even greener at the mere thought. "As if I'd _want_ to have sex with a bloke," he muttered, looking as if he was about to lose the fight with his stomach at any second. Then a smug look crept across his face. "It might be worth it though, to have you give birth to it."

Pansy screamed bloody murder, and launched herself at the blond girl. Poppy swiftly had her in a Body Bind and levitated her back to her bed. "None of that, Miss. Parkinson. And Mr. Weasley, unless you harbour a secret wish to marry the girl whose body you are currently occupying, I would drop that idea immediately!" Poppy snapped, not looking happy at all.

"Marry? _Her_? Are you out of your bloody mind?" Ron shouted, easily surpassing Pansy's earlier scream.

"Ten points from Gryffindor," Poppy said coldly. "Any more of that attitude, and I will refuse to treat you. Is that clear?"

"I'm sorry," Ron muttered, sinking back against the pillow, looking properly castigated.

"Albus, there is nothing physically wrong with them. There is no reason for them to remain here," the nurse said, turning towards the Headmaster with her request. She was already tired of dealing with them, and they had only been here for a couple of hours!

"I'm not going back to school looking like this!" Pansy shouted, struggling to get out of the bed so that she could punch the obnoxious nurse in the face.

"Then I suggest you write your father and request that he comes and fetches you," Poppy stated. "I do not have any obligation to keep you here since you are in perfect health."

"But... I can't!" Pansy wailed, looking thoroughly upset and miserable, large tears filling her eyes and slowly trailing down her cheeks.

"Then I suggest you make the best of the situation and focus on your studies," Poppy said unfeelingly, making her way towards her office. Let Dumbledore deal with the brats; she, for one, had had enough.

"I suppose we shall need to find you new quarters until the potion has worn off," Dumbledore said, regarding the two sixth years, amusement evident in both his eyes and his voice.

Ron groaned and buried his head under his pillow. He would never be able to live this down. _Never._

On the other bed, Pansy just looked at the Headmaster in horror, and then she burst into tears, hiding her face in her hands. Dumbledore moved to her side, patting her shoulder awkwardly. He had never had any patience with boys who cried, and he felt his skin crawl as he attempted to soothe the Slytherin. Wonderful! Another mess he was left to deal with. As if he needed any more trouble!

"Sir, you can't let my father know of this. He will kill me!" Pansy wailed, throwing her arms around Dumbledore and sobbed pitifully into his beard.

Albus was unable to hide his cringe, only causing Pansy to cry harder. Sighing in defeat, Dumbledore hung his head and shouted for Poppy.

HPDM

Harry and Draco ended up having a rather pleasant morning. McGonagall's announcement along with Ron's and Pansy's misfortunes kept the students suitably busy, and only one adventurous soul came near them, intent on snaring Harry. Draco swiftly dealt with her by sending her into the lake, which caused everyone else considering approaching them to swiftly change their mind.

Pansy and Ron were nowhere to be seen, and by lunchtime, it was a tossup whether the talks among the students were about pets or the two missing students.

Then suddenly the doors to the Great Hall were opened, and the two arrived, looking miserable and rather upset. Behind them walked Snape and McGonagall, looking as if they were torn between amusement and resignation.

The small group made their way to the front of the Teacher's Table, where they came to a halt and turned to face the room. "It would appear that Miss Parkinson and Mr. Weasley have been subjected to a potion that has caused them to exchange bodies," McGonagall said briskly, clearly not entirely happy with the situation.

"This means that even though Miss Parkinson now appears to wear the body of Mr. Weasley, she is still herself. Nothing has changed when it comes to her skills and personality. The same goes, of course, for Mr Weasley. This has caused us some problems, since obviously the two of them cannot remain in their own dorms. To solve this, we have decided to give them one of the guest quarters while waiting for the potion to wear off, which could take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, to a few months," McGonagall stated, making a shooing motion with her hand to send the two back to their own tables.

It was a decidedly odd scene to see Ronald Weasley head towards the Slytherin table, his head bowed, sitting down among the other sixth year girls. It was even odder to see Pansy Parkinson sit down next to Dean and Seamus at the Gryffindor table, filling her plate with food, not looking at anyone in particular. It didn't take long, however, before the students got back to talking among themselves again, eagerly discussing this new development.

Draco had watched the happenings with everyone else, and now he leaned closer to Blaise and whispered, "That turned out even more entertaining than I'd thought. I wonder if Pansy will adapt her own clothes or if she will be using the Weasel's?"

Blaise sniggered, feeling quite pleased with his part in the prank. Served Pansy right for making Draco's life miserable for all these years. "I bet you she will head out to Hogsmeade at the first opportunity and buy herself an entirely new wardrobe," he said, grinning widely.

"Nah, Pansy wouldn't do that, not if it would benefit a Gryff," Draco said, shaking his head. "Then again," he mused, "Pansy _does_ take inordinate pride in her looks. Too bad she has so little to work with."

The two Slytherins shared a glance, and then they were hooting with laughter. Pansy heard them, as did just about everyone else, and she glowered darkly. "I know you are behind this, Potter, and I'll make you rue the day you decided to fuck with me!" she all but snarled, making sure to keep her voice down. She didn't need Snape on her back on top of everything else.

Harry made a face of disgust, choking on his pumpkin juice. "For your information, Parkinson, I have _never_ even _thought_ of fucking you, and I thank you not to put disgusting images in my head! I don't even want to touch you!" he added with a shudder.

Pansy blushed hotly and growled in anger; it was clear that she had gotten at least some of the Weasley temper along with the looks. "As if I'd would allow you anywhere near me, Potter. Who would want your sorry ass in bed, anyway?" she said, putting her nose up into the air. It didn't have quite the same effect as it usually did.

Theodore Nott started to laugh. "Are you out of your mind? Half the bloody school is lusting after Harry here, or hadn't you noticed? Oh, wait, you have, since you were subjecting the common room to a half hour rant the other day about how unfair it was that the school's two hottest babes were taken by each other."

Pansy blushed even hotter and sent the boy a death glare. Far too used to more potent looks, Theodore wasn't deterred. He just grinned at her, unrepentant, taking delight in the way Draco was glaring daggers with her, grumbling under his breath. This should be suitable payback for clinging to him at breakfast, forcing him to be the one to help her.

Harry just shook his head, far more amused than upset at that remark. "The school's two hottest babes, huh?" he half-asked. "Well, that was a new one; I've never been a babe before. Not sure I agree, but hey, if that floats your boat." Giving the redhead a contemplating look, he added, "Is this where I issue you a warning not to come near me? You clearly are harbouring a fantasy or two about my body; just make sure you don't act on it, 'cause you are so not my type."

"Let me guess, you only want some blond slave who will fulfil your every whim, right? I always knew you were an attention seeker, Potter. Well, you might have Draco for now, but how long will you be able to hold on to him? Trust me, he will soon get bored with you. You might clean up nicely, but you have nothing that will hold his interest for long," Pansy said with a sniff.

Draco snarled angrily and every goblet on the Slytherin table exploded, showering the snakes with their contents, causing them to jump back with various exclamations. Sensing that he was about to erupt, Harry clamped a hand on Draco's arm to keep him in place, while almost convulsing with laughter. "Oh, Pansy, if nothing else, you make an excellent court jester," he gasped when he managed to speak again. "So you don't think I have anything that will hold his interest? Dear girl, what do you think it takes to enthral someone like Draco Malfoy? I can assure you, he is _not_ turned on by simpering looks or by having a bloody leech clinging to his arm. You have done your best to snare him for the past five years, and given the chance, he couldn't get away from you quickly enough. Doesn't that tell you anything? You are a shallow, egotistical little girl, who thinks of no one but herself. I suggest you go and play among the other first years, because you clearly do not have the brain power it takes to play in the big league," Harry said dismissively, turning back to his lunch.

Draco had, at first, been miffed that Harry was stopping him from going after the harridan, but now he was sitting back, looking smug and pleased. Around him, his year mates were sniggering more or less openly, enjoying the dressing down very much. Looking around her, Pansy realised that somehow Harry Potter had managed to get the other Slytherins on his side.

At first, she just couldn't believe it. For the past five years, she had been the queen of the snake house. So what if much of it had been due to her closeness to Draco? _Some_ of it had had to have been her own cleverness, wit, and cunning. But looking around her now, Pansy slowly came to realise that she had only been tolerated by the others. They had only deferred to her because of Draco, and now that Harry had taken her place at the blond's side, they were only too happy to dump her. Feeling a fury like she had never felt before, Pansy exploded to her feet and screamed out the first curse that entered her mind, pointing her wand at Potter.

"_Crucio!_"

The Great Hall fell silent in shock, every head swirling to look at the boy who was standing there, their wand trained at the Boy Who Lived. Then it exploded into action.

Harry, too stunned to move, could only sit and stare at the twisted face of the boy he had once considered his friend. Intellectually, he knew that that wasn't Ron, but the rest of him refused to acknowledge that fact, and he froze in place. Then the curse hit and Harry was unable to hold back a scream of pain.

Draco too froze in shock, unable to believe that a fellow snake was that stupid. Unable to believe that _Pansy_ was that stupid. Then his mate screamed in pain, and the Veela in Draco leaped forward with a vengeance.

Feeling his wings emerge, Draco, without thought, wandlessly removed his robe, vest, and shirt, baring his upper body. Shaking his wings out, he simultaneously jumped forward, intercepting the curse, and shielded his mate with his own body. There was no way in hell he was going to allow that... _thing_ to hurt his mate one moment longer.

His actions unfroze the others, and before Pansy knew what had happened, she was hit with half a dozen Stunners, throwing her backwards into the wall, before she slid into an inelegant heap on the floor.

Dropping to his knees, Draco pulled his still twitching mate into his arms, shielding them both with his wings, all too aware of the other students that were crowding around them. Crooning softly, rocking them both back and forth, Draco did what he could to soothe his hurting Elf.

Up at the Head Table, the teachers had frozen with shock as well at Pansy's unexpected reaction. However, unlike the others, Lucius and Severus shook off the shock quickly -- being a servant to Voldemort taught you to always expect the unexpected, and to always stay on you toes -- and they sprang to their feet, rushing towards the teens, pulling out their wands, sending powerful Stunners towards the girl before anyone else but Draco had even begun to move.

Kneeling down next to his son, Lucius sent the other Slytherins packing with a hard stare. Realising that now was not the time to be nosy, the snakes quickly moved away, giving the older Malfoy plenty of space to work.

"Dragon?" Lucius asked quietly, not wanting to startle his son.

"Is she dead?" Draco asked, his voice calm and collected, but Lucius easily picked up on the underlying fury.

Glancing over his shoulder to where his own mate was putting the girl in magical binds, Lucius replied, "No. She is just stunned. Then again, considering the number of Stunners she was hit with, and the amount of power behind the spells, she will probably be out of it for quite a while."

"Good! I want her _gone_. Hell, I want her in _Azkaban._ She cast the Cruciatus on. My. Mate!" Draco snarled, unable to hold back his emotions any longer.

Realising the danger they were all in, Lucius carefully wrapped his arms around his son's shoulders. "Dragon, she will be punished for this, you have my word. Not even Dumbledore will be able to protect her now. There are far too many witnesses for her to wriggle her way out of this. Let us handle this, you just concentrate on your mate. He needs you now," he said, shamelessly using the Veela's need to protect their mate to turn Draco's focus away from the foolish and idiotic girl. Even though it was within his rights, Lucius didn't want his son to become a murderer; not because a piece of trash like Pansy Parkinson.

Draco took several deep breaths, his Veela and his human side struggling for dominance. Part of him wanted to stalk over to Pansy and tear her to pieces, yet part of him wanted nothing else but to wrap his mate up in cotton and spoil him rotten until he knew for sure that he was all right. Eventually, his worry for Harry won out, and Draco slowly climbed to his feet, easily lifting his mate up with him.

Hearing his father's angry curse, Draco swiftly looked down, and to his horror he realised that the glamour had fallen, showing Harry in all his glory. Fortunately, his wings had protected Harry from prying eyes most of the time, and he gently shifted his hold, hiding his mate's head even further. This was not the time for the truth to come out.

Not looking right or left, Draco stalked out of the Great Hall, only hesitating briefly before making his way to his and Harry's private rooms. They would need all the protection they could get, and Salazar Slytherin was not about to allow anyone through, no matter who they were.

Lucius easily matched his son's pace, and together they brought Harry to Draco's bedroom, placing him gently on the large bed, removing his robe and boots. Crawling in after him, Draco gently pulled his mate into his arms, worried that Harry had yet to speak.

"Love?" he whispered, not sure whether Harry was awake or not.

Harry's only reply was to curl around the blond and bury his head in Draco's neck.

"Father, something is wrong, but I can't tell what it is," Draco said worriedly, giving Lucius a pleading look.

Lucius sighed gustily, running a hand through his hair, tugging on a lock none too gently. He could feel that something was wrong too, only he didn't have a clue as how to fix it. And he had a feeling that Severus didn't either. They just didn't know enough about Elves to know what to do. And he didn't think the Founders could help him either, since the spell used was invented long after their deaths.

Glancing around the room, as if he was expecting the answer to just appear, Lucius suddenly snapped his fingers. "Fawkes!" he cried, praying the Phoenix had returned from the Elven realm.

For long moment nothing happened, then there was a flash of flame, and a soothing song filled the air, lightening the hearts of father and son. "Fawkes, Harry was hit with the Cruciatus Curse just now. Something is wrong, but we don't know what. We need you to get help!" Lucius said, looking imploringly at the bird.

Instead of taking flight, as everyone present expected, the Phoenix landed lightly on the bed and, irritated, flapped his wings, making an angry squawk. Lucius and Draco just stared at him, not understanding what he was trying to do.

Fawkes made another angry sound, all but stamping his foot.

"I believe he wishes to help Harry," Draco said slowly, trying to understand what Phoenix wanted.

Fawkes nodded his head up and down, clearly pleased with the blond teen. Then he tilted his head to the side, and a large pearly drop appeared in his eye.

"Phoenix tears!" Lucius breathed. "Of course, one of the most potent healing aids there is!"

Draco gently pulled Harry away from him, and with the help of his father, they managed to place Harry on his back on the bed. Fawkes immediately jumped up on Harry's chest and made his way upwards.

Crying his large tears, Fawkes made sure they landed in the mouth Draco was holding open for him, while Lucius gently encouraged Harry to swallow them.

For several moments nothing happened, and the two Malfoys were getting increasingly worried. Then Harry coughed and opened his eyes. When he saw Draco, the Elf smiled weakly and tried to reach up to cup his love's cheek. Draco swiftly captured the hand, and placing a kiss on the palm, he pressed it against his face, not feeling ashamed of the tears that were making it wet.

* * *

**Next Time:  
**Harry is forced to make a decision; should he remain at Hogwarts or not?  
And if he does stay, what should be done about Albus Dumbledore?  
Until Then… 


	55. Should I Stay Or should I Go?

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter. Sigh.

**A/N:** Wow! I can't believe how many have reviewed this chapter already. Some of those reviews have been incredibly sweet, and they did wonders to kick me into start writing again, despite the hot weather. Thank you to you all!

In the end, I didn't rewrite the first part of this chapter; I just tacked on the end that was missing. So, if you do not wish to re-read the first part, just look for the _HPDM_ written in italics. Janara

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_**Should I Stay Or should I Go?**_

_**Wednesday, Sep. 18**_

"How is he?" Severus asked quietly, coming to stand behind Lucius, putting his hands on slumped shoulders.

"Not good. And I haven't got the faintest idea how to help him," Lucius replied, sounding tired and defeated. "I summoned Fawkes, hoping that he could go and get help, but he has just been crying tears into Harry's mouth. But, Sev, the tears aren't enough!" Lucius said, starting to get agitated. Under his hands, Severus could feel the Veela's muscles clenching and unclenching, as if he was about to battle the damage done to the Elf himself if only he knew how.

Tightening his grip, Severus did what he could to try and offer some comfort. "Did you cast a diagnostic charm? What did the scan say?" the Potions master asked, trying to approach the problem with a professional air, his mind shying away from what would happen if Harry did die.

Lucius glanced at his son who was too focused on helping his mate to pay them any attention. "I didn't want to say anything to Draco, but Harry is slipping away from us, and I don't know how to stop it. I don't know why, Sev, but he was very badly affected by that curse. It is like nothing I have ever seen before. I mean, it isn't a pleasant spell, far from it, but it takes prolonged exposure to it to become insane," Lucius said with a tired sigh, reaching up and grabbed hold of one of his mate's hands, needing the grounding contact more than ever.

"We both know that the Cruciatus causes some damage to the nerves. Salazar knows that I have consumed gallons of that foul potion of yours over the years. However, for true damage to be done you again need prolonged exposure to it, and Harry was only hit with it for a few seconds, a minute at the most. And yet, somehow, the damaged to his nerves are just too severe. They seem to be... unravelling, and..." Lucius broke off, too choked up to continue.

Severus got a pensive look on his face, watching the Phoenix as he cried. Snapping his fingers, the Potions master summoned a house-elf, which arrived promptly.

"Tikky, I want you to go to my stores and gather up three bottles of Phoenix tears," he ordered. And moments later the bottles had arrived, delivered by a deep-bowing house-elf who cast an uncertain look at Harry and then popped away, tears in her eyes.

"Here, let us see if a larger dose of the tears will help," Severus said, doing his best to sound cheerful. They couldn't all fall apart. It was enough that the Malfoys were. Someone had to remain strong, or Harry would surely be lost.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Severus gently coaxed Draco into letting go of his mate. It took a while, but eventually the devastated Veela allowed the other man to hold the precious bundle. Resting Harry's head against the crook of his neck, Severus carefully placed the top of the bottle against the Elf's lips, tipping the vial enough so that the expensive drops trickled into Harry's mouth.

Draco moved closer, unable to stay away. Severus welcomed him and encouraged the teen to massage the brunet's throat to help encourage him to swallow.

It felt like an eternity, and they were down to the last dregs of the third bottle when Harry finally began to stir. Taking a deep breath, he was unable to hold back a slight moan from the discomfort he was feeling.

"Harry?" Draco asked, reaching up to caress the nearest cheek. "Harry, can you hear me?"

Harry blinked his eyes open, breaking into a wide grin when his searching eyes landed on the Veela. "Draco..." he whispered, his voice barely more than a soft breath.

"Don't you dare scaring me like that ever again!" Draco scolded, pulling his mate from Severus' arms and into a bone crushing hug. "I thought for sure I was going to lose you, and it was tearing me apart," he admitted, whispering the words meant only for the Elf to hear.

"What happened?" Harry asked, finding his memory of resent events a bit fuzzy.

"What do you remember?" Lucius asked, watching as Severus cast several diagnostic charms in an attempt to discern how the teen was doing. His spells kept being disrupted by Draco who was far too close for the spells to be effective, yet neither man had the heart to ask him to move aside, even for a moment.

Besides, the readings Severus did get all stated that the Elf was on the mend and that the damage done to his body was healing slowly. If they could manage to make him rest, the Elf should be as good as new in a few days time. Still, they did know far too little about Harry's physic for Severus to truly release his concerns. He could only hope that the Elven King got back to them, and soon.

"For that matter, how do you feel?" Lucius added, taking in Severus frown and wondering if he should start getting alarm or not. Then again, Harry had woken up and was coherent. For the moment, it was enough. They could deal with eventual consequences later.

"Tired," Harry admitted having considered the question carefully, sensing that an automatic 'I'm fine' would not be well received by this group. "My body is aching, and I feel like I've been hit by a few Bludgers, but other than that..."

Harry's voice trailed off as he examined the three people who had come to mean so much to him. Lifting an eyebrow, he turned back to Draco, taking in his haggard looks, absently noting that the Veela had his wings out.

"What happened? We were in the Great Hall, eating lunch. I remember Pansy cast Crucio on me. What happened after that?"

Draco launched into a detailed description, leaving nothing out. As he came to a halt, tears were once more streaming down his face, and Harry's heart was aching for his boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, Draco. I never meant to worry you so much."

"You have nothing to feel sorry for!" Draco exclaimed. "Salazar, Harry, how were you supposed to know that Pansy was about to flip? I mean, she cast Crucio in the Great Hall, for Salazar's sake! Before everyone. Right in front of the eyes of _Dumbledore_ of all people!"

Harry shrugged his shoulders, unable to meet Draco's eyes. "I was goading her. I was deliberately angering her. I wanted her to realise just what it was that she had lost. I knew she was pissed off because of the potion. I knew that she would get angry, I just never realised--"

"No, Harry. In this you are blameless," Lucius said, gently grasping Harry's chin, forcing him to look at the older blond. "Pansy is a Slytherin. No matter how angry she got, she should have kept her temper. Throwing hexes around when angered that is the Gryffindor way. No self-respecting Slytherin would ever behave in that manner."

Harry snorted. "Pansy has never been a self-respecting Slytherin," he stated, feeling grateful that they weren't blaming him. Harry wasn't sure he fully believed them, but he was grateful nevertheless.

Lucius' lips twitched with amusement. "Touché," was all he murmured, his respect for Harry rising one more notch.

"So, what's going to happen to our Gryffindorish Slytherin?" Harry asked, making himself comfortable in Draco's arms.

"Love, I don't think there is such a word," Draco said wryly, placing a kiss on Harry's temple.

Harry just shrugged, not particularly interested in debating vocabulary at the moment.

"I believe this discussion should be postponed until a later time. Mr. Potter has just woken up and we still don't know if there will be any repercussions from what happened to him," Severus said, unconsciously falling back into teacher mode as he regarded the teens curled up around each other. He did not want to think about Albus' latest idiocy.

"Severus?" Lucius asked, growing alarmed. "Don't tell me," he sighed, running a hand through his hair in agitation. Surely Dumbledore hadn't...

"Severus?" Harry asked, looking both worried and resigned at the same time, picking up on the older men's agitation and anger.

Severus sighed, but knew when to give in. "Yes. Albus has decreed that because Pansy was affected by the potion, she could not be held responsible for her actions. The Weasleys are well known for their fiery temper, and Ron is the most volatile of the group."

"That is a load of bull shit!" Harry exclaimed, having a hard time believing his ears, even though he had suspected from the start that Dumbledore would find a way to get the girl off the hook. "The potion doesn't work that way! Besides, we all know that Ron tends to cast first year jinxes when he is angry. Then again, he did cast _Sleep of the Dead_ on Draco that time," Harry mused, momentarily sidetracked by the memory. "Still, we all know that he would not be casting Crucio, no matter how enraged he'd get. Besides, to cast that curse successfully, mere anger isn't enough. You have to mean it," Harry said, remembering vividly that night at the Ministry when he had attempted to cast that spell on Bellatrix.

Draco tightened his hug on his mate. He wasn't sure what to say, he didn't think a rant would help the tense atmosphere, so he opted to show his mate that he was there for him.

"You are quite correct, Harry. Unfortunately, most of the staff is still in shock that one of their students could be so foolhardy and stupid that they are only too happy to let the Headmaster talking them into forgetting that it ever happened. None of them are considering the message this will give the rest of the school. I fear that if we allow the matter to drop, then it won't be long before others pick up on Pansy Parkinson's behaviour, going after those they consider weaker than them. I especially fear for the first and second years," Severus said with a tired sigh. He had tried to reason with Dumbledore, but as always, the aged wizard had just waved his concerns aside, stating that no student at his school would ever sink to such deplorable behaviour. Totally overlooking the fact that one already had.

"I'm tired," Harry whispered, acknowledging to himself at least that he was talking about more than being physically tired.

"That is quite understandable," Lucius said, climbing gracefully to his feet. "Why don't you try and get some sleep? Severus and I will be in the next room, call us if you need anything. Anything at all." Smiling slightly, he reached down and caressed Harry's cheekbone with the back of his fingers. "Try not to worry. We will find a way to deal with Dumbledore. He has gone too far this time, and he will not get away with sweeping this mess under the carpet."

"Thank you, Lucius," Harry whispered, his throat tight with emotions. Was this how it felt to have a father? Feeling tears well up into his eyes, the overwrought teenager buried his face in his Veela's neck and breathed deeply, allowing the scent of his mate to calm and soothe him.

Father and son shared a sad look filled with love and understanding. Moving carefully, Draco kept his wings wrapped around his mate as he tried to find a position that would be comfortable for both of them. Both Lucius and Severus stepped forward to help him, and Draco felt immensely grateful for that, since it meant that he didn't have to let go of his precious bundle.

It didn't take long before they were tucked snugly into bed, a light blanket covering them both, a combined heating/cooling charm on the blanket ensured that they would be kept at ideal temperature at all times. Sighing softly, Draco closed his eyes and just revelled in the presence that was his mate.

HPDM

Tikky arrived back at the kitchens where she had been working on lunch when she had been summoned. Snapping her fingers, she put the entire room into a safety bubble, adding a stasis spell on the food, freezing everything in place but the other hose-elves.

"Tikky?"

The enraged elf turned towards the one addressing her. Bowing deeply to the Head of the house-elves, she told all the elves present of what she had seen and sensed inside the private suite.

Dobby began to growl, shaking with fury. "Dobby is making nasty Headmaster sir pay. Harry Potter is the most wonderful wizard in the world. Harry Potter freed Dobby from nasty Mistress. Dobby will always remember!" he stated proudly.

However, before he could pop away, he was stopped by the voice of Helga Hufflepuff. Looking up at one of the two paintings adorning the kitchens, the house-elves were amazed to see the female founder smile down at them with a proud smile.

"I always knew that you house-elves were worthy of my House," she said, causing every single elf to blush vividly. "You are quite correct, young elf that the Headmaster has gone too far this time. However, going after him in anger is not the way. If you do, Dumbledore will be able to garner sympathy and the other humans will put the blame on you."

"But Headmaster sir needs to be punished!" Dobby cried out, though he was trembling with fear, afraid of what would happen to him for talking back to one of the Founders. Still, this was Harry Potter! And Dobby would do anything for him.

"Yes, he does," Godric Gryffindor said, coming into the frame to stand next to Helga. "Tell me, elf, what is the Headmaster least favourite foods?"

"Boiled cabbage, kippers, bubble and squeak, haggis, and liver, Sir," Hilcy, the Head house-elf, said, stepping forward and giving the Founders a deep bow of respect.

"Excellent! From this day forth, that is the only foods that will be available to Albus Dumbledore as long as he resides inside this castle. If he tries to bully you into giving him anything else, then inform him that you are merely following orders. This way you can get your revenge, and Dumbledore will be unable to attack you. If he asks whose orders you are following, feel free to tell him. Let him find a way to explain why the Founders of Hogwarts are working against him!" Godric said, sounding very smug and pleased with himself.

"Oh, Ric, I am so proud of you," Helga said, wrapping her hands around Godric's arm. "That was a revenge worthy of Salazar himself. The two of you are so much alike. If you could only stop pestering each other and admit it. Life would be so much calmer if you did, not to mention that I would win my bet against Rowena."

"Salazar Slytherin and I are _nothing _alike!" Godric protested vehemently.

"Oh? And who was it that just came up with a very Slytherin form of revenge?" Helga asked, rising an eyebrow in challenge.

Godric huffed, straightening his robes that didn't need to be straightened. "Um, well, a Gryffindor can be sneaky too! If the situation warrants it! Revenge is universal, and has _nothing_ to do with which House you belong to," he said, cheering up at his own clever answer.

"Oh, Ric," Helga sighed, shaking her head as the two left the painting, returning to the children's' suite. Godric and Salazar were proving to be more stubborn than she had figured when she and Rowena made that bet. Still, she was determined to get the two men to admit that they were very much alike. She hadn't managed it in the past thousand years that was true, but she was certain that all she needed was just a few hundred more. After all, what was time to a painting?

HPDM

"Did Dumbledore truly try and make an excuse for Pansy?" Lucius asked, collapsing onto one of the sofas, feeling utterly drained. He hated it with a passion when Draco was injured or ill, and it had been somewhat of a shock to the older Malfoy to realise that Harry now shared that part of his heart that up until now had been only reserved for Draco. Since when had he started to have paternal feelings for the Boy Who Lived?

_When you realised what a remarkable young man he is. Not to mention when you realised just how alone and abused he has been for all his life,_ his mental voice immediately shot back.

Sighing tiredly, Lucius reached up to rub at his temples. He did not need his conscience or whatever to start nagging him. His plate was full as it was thank you very much!

"He not only tried, he succeeded," Severus replied, sitting down next to Lucius and began to rub the Veela's temples, wanting to try and soothe the blond and stop the headache he was sure was building. Merlin knew that Severus could feel a migraine form behind his own temples.

For several long moments the two of them sat there in silence, soaking up the comfort the other was offering in abundance.

"So, what do we do?" Lucius eventually asked, knowing what it was he wanted to do. He wanted to grab up his boys and remove them from the danger that was Albus Dumbledore and take them someplace where he, and no one else for that matter, could reach them.

"I don't know," Severus admitted, filled with conflicting emotions. It was for this exact reason he had stopped caring for people when Lucius had been taken from him. If you didn't care, then you couldn't get hurt. Not to mention that you could approach each and every situation with a cool and calm head. If you cared, then your emotions inadvertadly got in the way, clouding your judgement, causing the danger to grow exceptionally.

"I know what I want to do. I want to remove the boys from here, taking them someplace where Albus and Riddle can't reach them. However, knowing Potter, I have a feeling he won't agree with that wish. He is far too much Gryffindor to just turn his back on a bad situation," Severus said with a tired sigh. Feeling too weary to want to move, he slid down a bit, moving sideways until his head came to rest on Lucius' shoulder.

The Veela started, surprised that his prickly mate would allow himself to seem vulnerable. Then he smiled and tilted his own head until it rested against his mate's. Who cared for why? They were together, the boys were next door, probably sleeping, and soon he would be free to claim what was his. If only meddlesome and insane people could leave them alone, life would actually be pretty good.

Closing his eyes, feeling tense muscles start to unknot, Lucius gave up on thinking and focused on merely existing for a while.

HPDM

Try as he might, Harry just could not fall asleep. His body was aching, his head was practically killing him, and his mind was spinning a mile a minute. He felt restless, he felt disjointed, as if he was no longer in sync with his own body, and it was driving him up the wall.

Suppressing the urge to toss and turn, not wanting to disturb the Veela, Harry tried to empty his mind and settle down. He did not have much success.

"Harry? Are you alright?" Draco asked with some concern. He could feel how tense his mate was, and he wanted to help. Only, he did not know how.

"No, I'm not," Harry replied with an unhappy sigh. Since Draco obviously wasn't sleeping, Harry rolled over, away from the gentle arms holding, until he was lying on his back, staring moodily up at the ceiling. It didn't hold any answers either.

"What can I do?" Draco asked quietly, feeling that platitudes would not be well received at the moment. Not that he was in the habit of offering them anyway.

"I don't know," Harry said with a pout that Draco was hard-pressed not to kiss. He didn't think that would go over well at the moment either.

Closing his eyes, the Elf turned his focus inward. The niggling feeling he got from his body felt eerily familiar, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. Then it hit him. The days after his birthday, when he had come into his full Elf powers. He had felt like this then too, as if his mind, body, and magic were all out of sync with each other.

Unable to sleep, or even settle down enough to read, Harry had ended up wandering restlessly around the Black Manor until... Snapping his eyes open, Harry threw the blanket aside, and sat up in bed.

"Harry?" Draco asked, starting to grow alarmed by his mate's uncharacteristic behaviour.

"I need to get down into my trunk, Draco," Harry said, looking over at the Veela as if he had totally forgotten he was there. In a way he had.

"The trunk? Why?" the bond youth asked, becoming very suspicious suddenly.

Harry looked at him blankly, and then his eyes widened as he remembered. Cursing himself angrily, the Elf pulled Draco into a crushing hug, whispering over and over again that he was sorry.

Draco had no idea how to deal with this sudden turn of events, so he returned the embrace fiercely with one hand, while calling for his father through the necklace, not wanting to risk shouting when he was so close to Harry's very sensitive ear. Though getting hold of the pendant turned to be somewhat difficult considering the tight grip Harry had on him.

"What happened?" Lucius asked, entering the room in a rush. Seeing the agitated state Harry was in, he lifted an eyebrow and gave his son a pointed look.

"Hey, don't look at me!" Draco protested, feeling offended that the blame for whatever had happened was automatically placed on him.

"It isn't Draco's fault. It is mine," Harry said, his words muffled due to the fact that his face was still pressed into Draco's neck.

"What happened? I thought you were going to get some rest," Severus said, never one to dance around a subject. There was more than one reason he had earned his reputation as a snarky git. It simply wasn't in his make-up to patently withstand fools and imbeciles, and he did not have the patience needed to coddle people.

"I need to go down into the trunk," Harry repeated, turning his head slightly so he could look at the Potions master. "But I don't want for Draco to be there, yet I need him nearby, and I don't know what to do!"

The three Slytherins blinked. That statement did not make sense. Then it clicked for two of them, and Lucius and Severus shared a glance.

"You need to ground yourself, don't you?" Severus asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes," Harry replied simply, burying his face in Draco's neck once more.

It was then the light went up for the blond teen as well. "You need your garden, don't you?" he half-asked, half-stated, already knowing the answer as well. "But you are afraid I won't be able to handle going back there," he added flatly. Harry was right; Draco was not looking forward going back down there. The mere thought made his skin crawl!

Harry only nodded his head. There was no need for a verbal reply.

Draco sighed. "You are right, I don't like it. Hell, I _hate_ it. However, I can't avoid that place forever, and I can't, I won't ask that of you either, so we might as well get this over and done with. Do you need to bring anything with you?"

Harry looked up, amazement shining from his eyes, along with awe and gratitude. "You'll come with me?" he asked in wonder.

Draco snorted and rolled his eyes. "Of course I bloody well will come with you! I'm not about to allow you to suffer through this alone!" he snapped, more unhappy with the situation than Harry.

Only, the Elf misinterpreted him and withdrew, an unhappy look on his face. "I'm sorry, Draco. You don't have to come along. I will be fine on my own. Really," Harry said, miserably, pulling away completely from the arms he loved.

"Oh, for Salazar's sake!" Draco huffed, trying to bring Harry back into his arms. Harry was not co-operating.

"Enough!" Lucius snapped, not about to allow the situation to deteriorate even further. "Harry, Draco isn't angry with you. He is unhappy about the situation, _not_ with you," he said more gently, moving to pull the brunet into his arms, giving his son a quelling look when he was about to protest.

"Come. If you need your garden to heal, then there is where we will go. All of us," he stated, sending his son another pointed look.

Helping Harry to get up from the bed, the two walked into the living room, Lucius' arms still wrapped around the teen. When Draco moved to follow, Severus put a hand on his shoulder, preventing him from climbing off the bed.

"What?" the blond snapped, sending his godfather a deadly glare.

"That attitude has to go, or you will do un-repairable damage to the bond between you and your mate," Severus said darkly, sending a glowering look right back at his godson, staring him into submission with ease. After all, he had had a lot more years perfecting his glares than the boy had had.

Draco huffed, but sank back onto the bed, a sullen look on his face.

Severus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. Teenagers! Gathering what patience he had, the black haired man sank down onto the edge of the mattress and pulled the resisting youth into his arms.

"I know that you are angry, Draco. And I am well aware of what memories will be brought forth by going back to that room. I _know_, and I understand. And so does Lucius," Severus said gently, reaching up to stroke blond hair so much like his father's. "But Draco, Harry doesn't comprehend that at the moment. Yes, he knows that it will be unpleasant for you, but he is ill equipped to deal with it at the moment. We don't know why, but the Crucio truly messed him up, and he is not thinking very clearly right now.

"If you go down there with him, snapping and snarling, he will think that it is personal, that it is _him_ you are angry with, and he will withdraw from you even further. Draco, if you are not careful, he might pull away from you completely, and if that happens..." Severus trailed off, waiting for the Veela to think about what he had said.

Draco gave in and rested his forehead against his godfather's shoulder. He felt safe and secure, sitting within this man's embrace. Up till now, only Severus and his father had managed to give him this feeling of safety, but with a small start the blond realised that Harry was capable of it too.

Sighing deeply, the youth tried to sort through his raging emotions. It wasn't easy, as a large part of his instincts were screaming at him to race after his mate. But if Severus had stopped him from going then this had to be important.

"Talk to me, Dragon. Let me help you," Severus murmured, feeling pleased as he felt some of the fight leave the tense frame.

"I feel angry. Bloody hell, I feel furious! I want to hunt down that bitch and I want to tear her to pieces. She hurt my mate! And Dumbledore is just going to ignore that? How can he? How the hell can he call himself the leader of the Light, and be prepared to just sit back and ignore something like this!" Draco cried, feeling his magic starting to stir again, as he remembered the agony and fury he had felt in the Great Hall as he realised that someone dared to hurt his Harry.

"Unfortunately, he has done this before," Severus said with a sad, tired sigh. "When the Dark Lord appeared in the seventies and started to make himself a name, Tom swiftly gathered those who had been with him when he was a student.

"Most of them had children of their own, and many of them had been raised with stories of how our world should be like. There would be no Mudbloods polluting our blood. There would be no Muggles to force us to stay hidden. Purebloods would rule, and our society should finally be what it was supposed to be." Severus closed his eyes and sighed sadly as he remembered what those days had been like.

"When Lord Voldemort started his campaign, those children were swift to side with the Dark Lord. They didn't say it openly, but we all knew who they were. There were mutterings in dark corners, and more than once Muggleborns and Half-bloods were attacked and then Obliviated."

"What did Dumbledore do?" Draco asked, momentarily forgetting his anger at Pansy.

Severus snorted. "Not a thing. The Aurors were not called in to investigate. No one was found guilty, and it wouldn't surprise me to find out that a few of those Obliviates weren't cast by the Headmaster himself."

"But... That is horrible!" Draco cried out, outraged.

"I know. I have never been able to understand that man's reasoning," Severus admitted with another heavy sigh. "Then there were those blasted Marauders. They targeted everyone, but they were especially vicious against us Slytherins. I have lost count of all the so-called pranks they pulled, designed to humiliate us. Dumbledore did nothing to rein them in, and they didn't respect McGonagall enough to listen to her. That or they enjoyed their pranks too much to stop. Especially, since their punishments were nothing but a slap on the wrist and the loss of a few points, which Lily Evans would soon gain back for Gryffindor so the loss didn't hamper their chances at winning the House Cup.

"No, the Marauders certainly didn't help the situation for us Slytherins. If anything, they made it easier for those working on recruiting for the Dark Lord, pulling a lot of students over on his side who otherwise would have remained at the very least neutral."

"So that's why you hate Potter and Black so much," Draco murmured, as he finally understood.

"Yes."

"But, if Dumbledore is such a manipulative bastard, why did you turn spy for him?" Draco asked, secretly thinking that he personally would never have stooped to work for the Headmaster.

Severus snorted a laugh, but there was no mirth in the sound. "What other option did I have? I had been forced to take the Dark Mark, against my wishes, not that anyone believed that," he added with another snort. "I knew it was only time before he would be defeated, and I had no desire whatsoever to spend my life in Azkaban, especially since it hadn't been my idea to follow that megalomaniac in the first place! I didn't have any money and no contacts worth mentioning on the Light side. No, Albus Dumbledore was the only choice I had of even hoping of getting out of the Dark Lord's clutches."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Uncle Sev," Draco whispered, unconsciously reverting to the address he had used as a child. He hugged his godfather tightly, feeling ashamed of his earlier thoughts.

"It is all in the past, Dragon, there is no point dwelling on those times. I only told you to show you that Albus Dumbledore has always had a skewed view on what is to be done for the greater good. Why else do you think he left Harry with those despicable Muggles?"

Draco growled, his anger reigniting.

"Their time will come, Draco. You need to focus on the here and now," Severus admonished gently, bringing the teen back from his wish for revenge. "I believe that we got slightly side-tracked, my dear Dragon. This conversation was supposed to be about Harry. I don't know how much you heard of my and Lucius' talking earlier, but for some reason that Crucio-curse really messed your mate up. I don't know for sure if it is because he is an Elf now, or if it is something lingering from the previous times he has been under that vile curse. Whatever the reason, he is woefully incapable of dealing with anything but the simplest of emotions."

Severus broke off for a moment, looking at Draco contemplatingly. "I believe that you need to treat him as if he was a small child. No, don't worry," Severus was swift to reassure when the Veela grew alarmed, "he will recover fully, of that I am sure. It just might take some time. Until then, he is extremely vulnerable. While he, as a sixteen year old, understands that the anger you are feeling is not directed at him, I fear that he does not understand that in his present condition, and will most likely believe that you are angry at him."

Draco paused to consider Severus' words, thinking back on how Harry had been reacting before his father had taken him away. Slowly he nodded his head. He thought he understood now. "I think I understand what you are telling me, Severus. And although I might hate it to be back in that conservatory, it is something Harry needs, and I can't allow him to sense my unsettled feelings. Besides, I have a feeling that place is important to him, and I need to get over what almost happened there. As you said before, it is in the past, and I need to leave it there. Still doesn't mean that I like it," Draco grumbled the last under his breath, but Severus heard him anyway.

"I am proud of you, Draco Malfoy. You have proven yourself to be a wonderful, young man, and I am proud to claim you as family."

Draco blushed and ducked his head, not used to such words of praise from his godfather. "Come, we better go and fine my mate before Father gets it into his head to steal him away," the Veela said, trying to lightening the mood, needing very badly to see his mate.

Severus mock growled, ruffled the blond locks, before moving them both off the bed, smiling slightly at Draco's bad attempt to joke.

_HPDM_

"I made him angry, didn't I?" Harry asked, sitting by the small pond, trailing his fingers through the water.

"No, you didn't," Lucius said soothingly, wrapping an arm around slumping shoulders.

"Don't lie to me. I know he is upset," Harry said, sounding far too sad for Lucius' liking.

Kneeling next to the defeated looking Elf, Lucius put a finger under Harry's chin, gently forcing the boy to look at him. "Loveling, Draco _is_ angry, I'm not denying that. But he is angry with Dumbledore and at Pansy. He is _not_ angry with you."

"But I hurt him," Harry whispered, looking past the older man and to a spot not far from where Lucius was kneeling.

"Harry?" Lucius asked, starting to grow alarmed.

"I only wanted it to stop. It hurt so much, and I didn't know what to do, and I only wanted to keep everyone safe, only I hurt him, didn't I? I didn't mean to," Harry mumbled, forcing Lucius to lean in to hear the soft spoken words.

Suddenly he realized what the Elf was talking about, and Lucius wrapped Harry into a tight hug. "He understood, Love. Draco understands and he has forgiven you for your mistake. That was all it was, a mistake. You didn't know."

"I almost killed him," Harry whispered, and it was clear that he hadn't heard a word of what Lucius had told him.

"Snap out of it, Harry!" Lucius barked, trying to jolt the teen back to the here and now.

Clouded green eyes turned to look into silvery grey, and slowly the awareness returned. "Luce?" Harry asked, sounding young and confused.

"Everything is alright, Loveling, you just got lost in your memories for a bit," Lucius said soothingly, reaching up to gently cup one cheek.

Harry unconsciously leaned into the gesture, but his eyes strayed back to the spot where he had been sitting not so long ago, almost drinking down the potion that would have turned him into a Squib.

"Harry, don't think about it. It didn't happen! Draco is fine, you are fine. Well, you will be as soon as you have recovered from Pansy's idiocy," Lucius amended with a wry smile.

Harry leaned forward, placing his forehead against Lucius' shoulder. "Will it ever end?" he asked, sounding just as bone tired as he was feeling.

"Will what end?"

"The idiocy."

"I'm afraid not, Harry," Lucius replied with a soft chuckle.

The sound caused Harry to lift his head, and a slight smile came to his own lips. "I suppose it is a bit much to ask, isn't it?" he asked with a slight giggle.

"I'm afraid so," Lucius said, nodding his head in agreement.

The two men shared a brief, peaceful silence. But then Harry's eyes returned to the spot and he grew solemn once more. "I thought it was Draco that would have problem returning here, you know? But all I can remember is the anger and anguish I felt that day. I can't feel the plants, they are mute to me. I don't feel the magic, the... I can't describe it. There are no words. All I know is that I won't get well here." Harry fell silent, staring blindly into space. Lucius couldn't help but worry for him, but sensed that now was not the time to speak.

"Lucius, would you mind if we went to the Manor? I need the gardens there. I'm positive that I will get better there. Please?" Harry asked with a pleading look in his unusually expressive eyes.

"We will do anything you want, Love, anything you need. But what do we tell Dumbledore? As much as I'd like to, we can't just up and leave. For one thing, he'd send that blasted Order of his after us, stirring up trouble we simply don't need at the moment."

Harry grew thoughtful, then his eyes lit up and he jumped to his feet.

"Harry?" Lucius asked, surprised by the teens actions.

"I have just the thing!" Harry cried, running out of the room.

Lucius shook his head but followed, albeit at a somewhat slower pace.

"Here! We'll use the Time-Turner!" Harry cried in delight, holding out his prize with pride.

"Harry... It is an excellent idea, but it isn't practical to use that," Lucius said, feeling slightly uncomfortable having to kill the boy's enthusiasm.

Harry's eyes grew wide. "Why not? I've used it before, it works, I promise you it does!" Harry assured the older man.

"Harry, surely you remember the danger of facing yourself in the past?" Lucius asked gently, putting his hands on Harry's shoulders, giving the youth a slight shake. "I can't guarantee that we won't run into my past self if we go back in time and visit the Manor."

"But... if we move back to September 1, no one will be at Black Manor," Harry said, looking and sounding confused. "I didn't have time to go there that day, and I'm the only one who knows how to get there."

Lucius felt like hitting himself. How could he have forgotten about Black Manor? He had automatically assumed that Harry was talking about _Malfoy_ Manor when he mentioned the manor.

"Harry, are you sure? We will have to time things carefully if we are to sneak in unseen into Grimmauld Place. Do you know if the house was left empty when you and your friends were escorted to the train?" Lucius asked, his agile mind already plotting on ways to get inside unseen. Then there was the matter with the Fidelius Charm...

"But Luce, we don't need to go via that house," Harry said with a small laugh. "Before I left, I was given a Shift Stone. It will take us directly into the Floo room."

Lucius blinked. Harry had been given one of the Black Manor Shift Stones? Most wizards today didn't even know what that was, much less having seen one. The Manor truly had to have taken a liking to the boy if it allowed him to bring the stone with him.

"Very well, we will go to the Manor," Lucius said with a small smile.

"Thank you!" Harry cried, jumping forward and wrapping his arms around Malfoy's waist, hugging him tightly. Lucius returned the enthusiastic hug, when a voice asked with a drawl, "Should I be jealous?"

"Draco! Guess what! We are going to the Manor! Oh, you are going to _love _it there!" Harry cried in delight, letting go of the older blond only to jump the young one, hugging him as tightly as he had just hugged Lucius.

"The Manor? Why are we going there?" Severus asked, giving Lucius a strange look.

Lucius chuckled and walked over to where his mate was standing, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "Harry has expressed a wish to go to Black Manor, and who am I to deny him his wish?" he said lightly with a teasing smile.

"Who indeed," Severus replied dryly. "When are we going? How are we getting there, and for how long?"

"Right now, Shift Stone, and until today," Harry replied, finally letting go of Draco who was turning slightly blue from the strong grip around his neck.

"Harry?" the Veela asked, staring to get extremely worried about his mate.

"We are going to use the Time-Turner and go back to the first of September," Lucius said. You didn't need to be a mind reader to realise the thoughts running around in both newcomers' mind.

"Phooey, you ruined my fun," Harry said, pouting prettily.

"Love, where do you keep the Shift Stone?" Draco asked, figuring he could find out later how come Harry even had such a device in the first place. But first they needed to go someplace where his Elf could get the help he so clearly needed.

"Right here!" Harry said, his earlier mood forgotten. "Grab hold everyone, and let's get out of this pile of rocks!"

Not wanting to risk getting left behind, the three Slytherins swiftly grabbed hold of the pyramid shaped stone. Barely had Severus and Lucius managed to get their fingers on the stone before Harry with a cry activated it, and the four of them were whisked away in a swirling blue vortex.

HPDM

"Weeee! That is sooo cool!" Harry cried happily, letting go of the stone and started to bounce towards the door. "Come on! You have _got_ to see the gardens! They are soooo pretty!" he called over his shoulder. Not waiting for the others to catch up, Harry Apparated away, leaving three stunned men behind.

"Harry better recover from this, or Pansy is going to wish that she was never borne!" Draco seethed, stalking towards the door, set on finding his missing mate.

"Who is you? And what is you doing in the Ancient Noble home of the Black family?" a house-elf asked, popping into the room and startling the men with its sudden appearance.

"I am Draco Malfoy, and Harry Potter is my Mate," Draco said regally, pulling himself up to his fullest height. No house-elf was going to threaten and intimidate _him_.

"Harry brought us here; do you know where he went?" Lucius asked politely. They needed information, not to start a fight.

The elf looked searchingly at the three men. Then it nodded its head, apparently satisfied with that it saw. "Master Harry is in his favourite garden. I is taking you there," the house-elf said, motioning for the others to follow.

HPDM

Draco would never remember that first trip through the Black Manor. All his senses were focused on getting to his mate as quickly as possible. Vaguely he was aware of what appeared to be miles and miles of white marble with a few inlays of gold here and there. He never saw the splendour, he never noted the urns filled with fresh, sweet smelling flowers, or the people in the paintings that followed their progress, several of them rushing from frame to frame to keep them in sight, while others gossiped eagerly with each other about who the strangers could possible be.

When they finally arrived at the indoor garden, which to Draco looked to be as big as the Manor's rose garden, all he saw was Harry laying curled up on the ground. Shouting out his mate's name, the Veela rushed to cover the distance separating them, falling to his knees with an anguished cry as the Elf never stirred; never showing any indication of even knowing that the blond was close.

"Calm down, my Dragon," Lucius murmured, falling to his knees next to his son. "Harry is merely in a Healing coma, just as he was back at Hogwarts, remember?"

"Are you sure?" Draco whispered, hating how his voice was wavering but unable to wrestle control back over his emotions. Harry had been acting so weird, almost like a hyper five year old. What if the damage done by the Cruciatus Curse was too great? What if the damage done to his mate was too severe? What if...?

"I am sure, Draco," Lucius stated with conviction, watching as his own mate performed several diagnostic spells to find out what state the sleeping youth truly was in.

"Your father is telling the truth, Draco. Harry is sleeping the Healing Sleep of the Elves. If you calm down for a moment, you should notice the pale green light suffusing him. He just needs time. I am positive that he will be fine, as long as he is allowed to ground himself and recover from what that harpy did to him," Severus said, adding his own voice of reason to the crumbling youth.

Draco took strength from the truth he could hear in both men's voices. Both his father and godfather were convinced that Harry was going to be fine. Then Draco was going to believe it too. He was not going to move from his mate's side, however, no matter how long it took. He would be right next to his Elf, giving him his strength and his love, quietly urging him to come back home to where he belonged. At Draco's side. And no one was _ever_ going to hurt his mate again. No one! _Ever_!


	56. Should I Stay Or should I Go? II

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter. I am not making any money.

**A/N:** As promised, here it is. The second chapter. I hope you will enjoy it.

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**_Should I Stay Or Should I Go? II_**

**_Friday, Nov. 1_**

Harry slowly swam towards wakefulness, smiling slightly as he felt the magic around him. Only one place felt like that. His garden.

Keeping his eyes closed, Harry stretched, checking his body for aches and pains as he uncurled from his curled up position, starting as an unexpected voice suddenly spoke.

"When you move like that, one could think you were part cat. How do you feel, Loveling?"

Harry blinked his eyes open and twisted around until he faced the speaker. Feeling his eyes widen, there was nothing Harry could do to prevent his jaw from heading south. "Malfoy!" he squeaked in a most embarrassing manner, taking in the relaxed manner the blond was reclining in an comfortable looking chair, a thick, old tome on his lap. "Where did you come from? How did you find this place? How long have you been here?" The questions spilled from Harry's lips the moment he thought of them. If the older Malfoy had found him here, at the one place Harry thought was safe, who else could find him here? Who else already had?

Lucius looked down at Harry, a worried frown appearing on his forehead. It was clear that Harry didn't remember why they had come here. How much else had the Elf forgotten? How much of his memories would they be able to bring back? Draco would be devastated if Harry had forgotten about him, about them. Speaking of Draco...

Lucius reached up and clasped a hand around his necklace. "Dragon, he is awake," Lucius said, keeping his eyes on the confused teen on the ground.

Lucius had barely let go of the pendant before Draco appeared beside him. The youth took one look at his mate, and letting out a cry of happiness, he launched himself at the Elf, hugging him tight all the while babbling how happy he was that Harry was awake, mingled with reproaches of how worried he had made everyone.

Lucius could only chuckle at the sight, making no moves to restrain his son or his happiness. Silently Severus made it to his other side, and together the two men looked down at the reunion.

HPDM

Harry was happy he was already lying down on the ground, or he would have ended up flat on his back when someone jumped him. For a moment he just lay there, feeling stunned, not comprehending in the least what was going on. Then slowly, the words that were being babbled into his ears began to make sense. Not that they did anything to explain the current situation.

"Salazar and the Founders! I've been so worried, Harry. You just slept and slept, and no one would tell me how much longer you needed to recover, and by Merlin, Harry! But don't you ever scare me like that again!"

Hearing the pain in the other's voice, Harry did the only thing he could do; he reached up and wrapped his arms around the other, enveloping him in a tight hug. Feeling the other calm down slightly, Harry placed his hands on two strong shoulders and gently pushed upwards.

At first the person on top of him resisted the push, but eventually they shifted and Harry finally got a first look on the being that had been hugging the stuffing out of him. "Draco Malfoy!" Harry half asked, half exclaimed, wondering just when he had fallen down the rabbit hole.

"Harry?" Draco asked, for the first time seeing the confusion in vivid green eyes. "Don't you remember, love?" Draco reached up with a trembling hand, brushing a stray lock of hair away from where it had fallen across his mate's face.

"Remember what?" Harry asked, searching silvery eyes, feeling surprised and dismayed when they slowly filled with hurt. Why would Draco Malfoy care about him? What was it he had forgotten?

Glancing around, seeing his Potions professor for the first time, Harry managed a wry smile as he said, "I take it the reason I'm here, in the garden, has nothing to do with what happened on my birthday?"

"What is the last thing you remember?" Lucius asked, putting the book aside and gracefully getting to his feet. Reaching out a hand, he helped his son to climb to his feet as well, leaving Severus to assist the Elf off the ground.

"Umm," Harry said, then he paused. What was the last thing he remembered? Lost in thought, he never noted when Severus checked his health, or when he sent the two blonds a reassuring smile.

"I remember being upset with Ron and Hermione. I remember spending most of my summer here, at Black Manor," Harry said, glancing at the three Slytherins, taking note of the fact that they weren't surprised of their location, indicating that they knew very well where they were.

"What else?" Draco asked, his body vibrating with excitement and dread.

"Umm..." Harry frowned as a memory flitted at the edges of his awareness. Something had happened. Something important, but what?

Suddenly, his memories returned with the force of a tidal wave, and Harry gasped in pain, grasping his head as he sank to his knees. He wasn't alone for long, though; a strong body kneeled with him, wrapping him up in a strong embrace, while a soft voice murmured reassurance in his ear.

Slowly the pain receded, and Harry was able to breath again. Lifting his head that somehow had ended up being pressed into someone's neck, Harry looked into silvery eyes and breathed, "Draco? Are you okay?"

Draco chuckled. "It is I who am supposed to ask you that, love. How do you feel? Do you remember now?"

Harry nodded slowly, taking deep, steadying breaths as his stomach started to roll. "Yeah, I'm fine. Got a headache the size of France, but I'm fine. How long was I out?"

"A month and a half," Lucius said, kneeling down next to the two teens.

"A month...!" Harry asked, aghast.

"And a half. Six weeks if you prefer," Lucius added helpfully.

"Merlin!" Harry murmured, closing his eyes and hid his head in Draco's neck again.

"You needed it, love, and I would have been here, waiting for you no matter how much time you needed to heal," Draco said reassuringly, running a soothing hand up and down his mate's back.

"Thanks, Draco. I love you too. But a month and a half! What the hell did that spell do to me? On no! What about Dumbledore? And the Dark Lord? We are in sooo much trouble, aren't we?" Harry asked, looking up at the adults with despair in his eyes.

"Things are a tad tense, yes," Severus said with a slight nod. "However, it is nothing we can not handle between the four of us. Like Draco said, you needed the Healing and none of us are begrudging you the opportunity to get well again. You are well, aren't you? Do you need more rest?"

"No. I am a bit hungry, and my muscles are none too steady, but otherwise I feel fine," Harry said, and the others could hear the truth in his voice.

"Then you shall eat, and we can fill you in on the happenings of the world while you restore your energies," Severus said decisively, easily picking Harry up and Apparating away to the parlour where a meal was already waiting for them.

"I can walk, you know," Harry said with a pout, wanting to make his point even though he was secretly pleased with the care the Potions master was showing him.

"I'm sure you can. I am also positive that you are fully capable of falling flat on your face, due to your depleted state. I for one am not in a hurry for you to return to your Healing, are you?" Severus asked, giving the Elf a pointed look.

Harry looked down at the table, a sheepish smile on his face, unable to deny the truth of Snape's statement. Fortunately, he was spared the need to make a reply as the two Malfoys chose that moment to arrive.

HPDM

"So, what has happened while I slept?" Harry asked sometime later when his stomach was feeling nicely full.

"Surprisingly, not much has happened," Lucius said, having been elected as spokesman by the others. "However, there has been a few, yet important events. For one, the Elven King has arrived at Hogwarts, along with a few of his warriors. Needless to say, he was not pleased when Dumbledore didn't know where you had disappeared to. From what the house-elves have told us, Albus is doing everything within his powers to locate us, and to win the Elves over to his cause.

"When the Dark Lord learned about the King's arrival, he swiftly sent an emissary whose mission it is to lure the King away from Dumbledore, urging him to side with the Dark Lord instead. So far, the King has not taken any actions, but I fear it won't be long before he declares war on the wizarding world, demanding your return to his side."

Harry blinked, not sure how he felt at the knowledge that the Elven King was prepared to declare war just to find him. Did he mean that much to the King? Or was this just a ploy for the man to get his own wish? Shaking his head, Harry asked, "So... what do we do now?"

"That is entirely up to you, Harry," Lucius said solemnly. "If you wish, we can go to the King and return with him to the Elven realm, leaving both Dumbledore and the Dark Lord and their squabbles behind us. Or, you could return to Hogwarts, reassure the King that you are alive and well, and either send him back home, or ask for his assistance in the war. Or, you could shock everyone and side with the Dark Lord, using his help to overthrow Albus and his Order of Phoenix."

Harry blinked, a bit startled to realise that he did in fact have several options, several that was rather tempting at that. The last one was out of the question. There was no way that Harry would _ever_ side with Voldemort. But the look on Dumbledore's face if Harry made that declaration... Harry broke into a wide, wicked grin as he imagined the unflappable Headmaster standing there, doing a nice fish imitation.

The other three gave him a curious look, but Harry didn't bother to elaborate what he was thinking. He was too busy contemplating his other options. Did he want the King to side with Dumbledore? No. The Elves did not have a part in this war, and Harry was damned if he was going to allow them to be dragged into this just because he happened to be one of their descendants.

It was extremely tempting to leave the mess that was his life behind. Harry was pretty sure he could live out his life in the Elven realm and be happy there. Especially with Draco at his side. For a few moments, he allowed himself that fantasy, picturing himself and his mate riding their horses through breathtaking wilderness.

Then he sighed, knowing that he would never be able to turn his back on the wizarding world. The Boy Who Lived crap aside, Harry knew that he just couldn't abandon the innocent to suffer under Voldemort's rule. He might be pissed off at Ron and Hermione, and he might be bloody furious with Albus Dumbledore; however, most of the Weasley clan were still on Harry's side, even going against members of their own family to show him their support. No, he couldn't just abandon them.

And what about sweet, innocent Neville? Whose biggest love was plants. Neville would not last long under Voldemort's rule, of that Harry was positive. And what would happen to the shy boy if Dumbledore got his hooks into him? If the Headmaster was to lose Harry, then it was only logical to assume that Neville would be forced into the roll of the child of the prophecy.

And what about the Slytherins? Parkinson might be as mad as Voldemort, but Blaise had been nothing but understanding and supportive of his and Draco's relationship. No, Harry realised, no he could not just turn his back on the wizarding world, no matter how much he might want to.

However, that didn't mean that he was going to just meekly follow Dumbledore either. Harry remembered the talk he and the Malfoys had had that first day. It was time to start taking an active roll in this war. Time was wasting and...

"Oh no! What about your Marks? We were going to remove them!" Harry exclaimed, looking at Lucius and Severus with soulful eyes. Slowly they began to fill with tears, he had let the men down. He had promised to help them, and he had let them down. Bowing his head in shame, Harry was startled when Lucius moved to his side and pulled him into a hug.

Throwing his arms around the other's neck, Harry whispered, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for letting you down."

"Harry Potter, stop this nonsense this instance!" Severus snapped, having heard the softly mumbled words and responding to them before Lucius could. "You haven't let us down. You were hit with a Cruciatus, in the middle of the Great Hall no less, for Salazar's sake! So the removal of our Marks has been somewhat delayed that does not mean that you have abandoned us or let us down on purpose."

"Besides, there is still that Time-Turner of yours," Draco said, wrapping his own arms around his mate, whishing for Harry to know that Draco wasn't blaming him either.

"We never did use it, did we?" Harry asked with a watery chuckle, slowly letting go of Lucius.

"No, we didn't," Lucius said, reaching out to cup the Elf's cheek. "And you never told us what it is you wish to do. Know that whatever option you choose, we will stand beside you. All of us, forever."

"Thank you. That means a lot to me," Harry said, ducking his head and blushing. "I don't think that I want to involve the Elves in this. This is not their war; they shouldn't have to fight just because the wizards are to lazy or too cowardly to do their own fighting. And there will be a cold day in hell before I join with the Dark Lord!" Harry added, glaring coldly into space for a moment, recalling the senseless death of Cedric Diggory.

"But I will not just follow Dumbledore either. I think... I think it is time for him to resign as Headmaster of Hogwarts and fully devote himself to this war. The Headmaster constantly claims that he has no wish to run the Ministry, but who is it that everyone turns to whenever there is a trouble? Albus Dumbledore. No wonder the school is in such a mess!" Harry said in a huff, feeling his temper raise as he remembered the high handed manners that Dumbledore had used when dealing with Harry and his life. No, it was high time Hogwarts got someone who cared for the children first and politics second.

Lucius lifted an eyebrow. "I thought it was already established that we were going to start a third side in this war?"

"We decided, but we haven't exactly done anything to start that third side, have we?" Harry asked, sounding bitter. He was angry with himself; angry that he had allowed himself to be distracted away from the war. He was Harry Potter, he should have kept things in perspective, for Merlin's sake!

"Salazar forbids that Harry Potter actually has a life!" Draco growled, turning his mate around so that he could glare him in the eyes.

"Draco?" Harry asked, startled out of his dark mood.

"In case it escaped your attention, you haven't exactly have had a lot of free time since the start of the school year. Salazar, Harry, between lessons and us bonding, and the fights with Weasley and Granger, it is a miracle that we have managed to get _anything_ done! Don't you _dare_ start feel sorry for yourself. Do you hear me? Don't. You. Dare."

Harry smiled tenderly and reached up to caress the side of Draco's face. "I hear you loud and clear, my sweet champion. I hear you loud and clear," he whispered before leaning in and giving the blond a tender kiss.

HPDM

**_Saturday, Nov. 2_**

Harry walked into the breakfast parlour, feeing a tad disappointed to find the room empty. Sighing softly, the Elf made his way over to the table and sat down; trying to decide what he was in the mood for.

So much had happened, Draco had been quite correct when he pointed that not so small fact out. After a brief discussion, the four of them had agreed to wait a day or so before jumping back in time. Harry could use a few days to regain his strength, and better to use the time now to do that, than waste the time later on after they had made the jump back.

Not to mention that that had given Severus time to finish his latest project. Harry had not been surprised to learn that Severus had hunted down the portrait of Horatio Black and had managed to stroke the painting's ego enough for him to teach Severus a lot of tricks that had been forgotten with the passing of time. Including how to make Black Truth.

Lucius had spent most of his time while Harry was in a coma in the large library, and Draco had divided his time between assisting Severus, sitting by Harry side, and reading. The blond hadn't wanted to explore the manor until Harry was well again and could be at his side. Harry had awarded Draco with a very heated kiss for that admission.

And now here he was, alone. The previous day Harry had spent in bed, getting his energies back. Draco hadn't left his side for one moment. But today Severus was going to work on finishing up some project or other in the lab, and Draco had been so eager to participate that Harry had laughed and told him to go. However, he had not counted on waking up alone, much less eating his breakfast alone. It was only 6.30 in the morning! How early had the two Potions obsessed men started their day anyway?

"Harry?"

Harry looked up and gave Lucius a tremulous smile. "Good morning. I take it you've been abandoned as well?" he asked, trying for a light tone of voice, failing miserably.

"Harry?" Lucius asked again, this time with worry. "Do you want me to summon Draco?"

"Nah, I told him that he could play with Severus today. I just..."

"You didn't expect waking up alone?" Lucius asked knowingly, giving the teen a compassionate look.

"It's stupid, I know," Harry mumbled, staring down at his still empty plate.

"No, it is not stupid," Lucius said with some force, coming to sit next to the youth, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "It has been six weeks for us. Even though we've been worried about you, fretting about when you were going to wake up, we still have had plenty of time coming to grips with what happened. To you, it's only been a few days. It will take time, Harry, and I am surprised that Draco agreed on leaving your side, no matter _what_ project Severus is working on," Lucius added, feeling highly disappointed in his only son.

"Don't. He was so eager, and I did feel fine when I told him to go. I don't want to go back on my word. It isn't fair to Draco," Harry said, unconsciously leaning into the older blond's side.

Lucius snorted, he did not agree with Harry, but arguing with the youth would not help the matter. Rather, it would have quite the opposite effect. "Harry... you need to eat something. You are far too thin for my peace of mind," he said, changing what he was going to say practically midword.

"I know. I'm just not very hungry," Harry mumbled. He did however select a piece of toast and began to nibble on it, not bothering with butter or jam.

Lucius sighed, but kept his tongue. Figuring he needed to make a good example, he gathered some scrambled eggs and bacon onto his plate and started to eat, pretending not to notice the distinct lack of appetite that Harry displayed, vowing to have a word with Draco at first opportunity.

HPDM

As soon as he could, Harry fled the parlour and made his way back to his garden. Settling down among his favourite cluster of lilies, Harry thought long and hard about the past, the present, and the future.

What was it he wanted to accomplish with his life? And how was he going to wake people up concerning their tendency to blindly follow their leaders? How was he going to fight and win this war, without either Dumbledore or Fudge getting in the way? For that matter, how did you kill of a Dark Lord without spilling innocent life and blood?

Feeling restless and in dire need of a diversion, Harry climbed to his feet. Summoning a few house-elves he sent word to Lucius about his whereabouts and headed outside to the gardens. There was always a lot of work to be done this time of the year, and what better way to use up some energy than doing some honest, backbreaking work? If he was fortunate, an answer would leap up and hit him over the head while he was at it.

HPDM

"I'm so glad you could join me for lunch," Lucius said, giving Harry a sardonic look. The aristocrat had been forced to hunt the Elf down and all but drag him inside to get him to take a break and eat.

"I'm sorry, Lucius, but I was thinking," Harry said with a slight blush, which deepened when his stomach growled at the appetising aromas that filled the air.

Lucius lifted an eyebrow and regarded the teen with an incredulous look. "Is that what you call it? I would rather say that you were out in the gardens, digging. I thought you were going to take it easy today?"

Harry ducked his head and blushed even more. "Well, I was doing some digging, but I was thinking while I did," he said defensively.

Lucius chuckled, but decided to allow the matter to drop. "Care to share your thoughts?"

Harry sighed and started to fill his plate with the ham and vegetables the house-elves had prepared for them. There was still no sight of either Severus or Draco. "I was thinking about the wizarding world and how they seem incapable of thinking for themselves. I mean, take me for example. One day the Prophet prints that I am a spoilt, attention seeking child, and immediately everyone is in a uproar about me and my evil ways. Then the next day the same paper, and mostly the same bloody reporter, writes an article about how I saved someone or did something other heroic, and wham, wham, I am everyone's favourite hero again. Doesn't people realise how utterly bizarre that is?"

Lucius nodded his head but didn't make any comment just yet, sensing that Harry wasn't finished.

"So I started thinking about how to change that. Or rather, I began thinking about why the wizards seems to stop thinking the moment they start using their magic. Even the Muggleborns stop think and starts trustingly believe everything they are told, for Merlin's sake.

"Then I remembered my Muggle school, and the different subject I studied, or were about to study later on if I had stayed in the Muggle world. I stopped attending the Muggle school when I began Hogwarts, of course, but I've been looking through Dudley's school texts over the summers. Some years that was about the only break from boredom I had," Harry mumbled under his breath, remembering the times he had been locked into his room by his not so loving uncle.

"Anyway, Dudley has had all kinds of subjects where the aim was to get the kids to learn to think for themselves, and to question the things they read in books and papers and stuff. Hogwarts has no classes like that.

"Also, in Muggle history class we learn about wars, important inventions, and stuff. What do we learn at Hogwarts? Binns is forever blabbering on about his beloved Goblins and their wars and upraises, but we hardly hear about anything else. Like, how is the Ministry organised? What obligations does it have towards its citizens? What rights do the citizens have, and what demands can they make of their government? I have been in the wizarding world for five years now, and I still haven't heard a word about elections. Is the Minster post for life or something? No wonder that Fudge can walk around and make outrageous demands all the time.

"And take the Daily Prophet. From what I understand, it and Witch Weekly are the only papers people reads, and both are nothing but glorified gossip rags. Neither has _any_ interest in reporting the truth, especially if that truth puts the Ministry in a bad light! If that is the resources the wizarding world has, no wonder they are nothing but bleating sheep that aimlessly follows whatever wind is blowing!" Harry cried out with indignation and righteous anger.

"I can't fault your reasoning. The matters that you bring up are nothing but what others have complained about before you, countless of times," Lucius said, secretly impressed with the youth's reasoning skills.

"I believe that Albus Dumbledore has a lot to answer for when it comes to the sheep-like quality of the people of our world. For as long as I have known him, he has never explained anything. He is using his dotty grandfather persona on everyone, even his own staff, and unfortunately it is rare that the children manage to see through it to the ruthless man underneath.

"Dumbledore very effectively trains his students out of the habit of questioning his motives, giving those who do ask answers that are so filled with riddles that the situation has been long resolved before they even begin to understand what it was he told them." Lucius made a look of distaste, remembering the many times the Headmaster had done that very thing to him and Severus. Harry snorted softly, knowing exactly what the blond was talking about.

"But… that is just plain wrong!" Harry said hotly as he remembered the frustration he had felt the times he had actually sought the aged wizard out for advice.

"Yes, it is. But, if you do not wish to have your orders questioned by everyone, then that is a very effective way to silence your would be opponents." Lucius pointed out with a wry grin. "So far none of us who realises what that old man is doing have managed to come up with a workable solution as how to counter the Headmaster's brand of brainwashing on the population. All my attempts to have him removed have failed spectacularly." Lucius made a face of disgust.

Harry snorted. "All I have ever seen is a lot of talk. Just about everyone knows that things are not good as they are now, and yet no one does anything. If they all banded together then no one would be able to withstand them. Not Fudge, not Dumbledore. Hell, not even the Dark Lord and his followers. Still, all they do are whine. And complain. Why the hell isn't anyone doing anything!" Harry demanded, slamming his fist down onto the table, making the cutlery jump.

"I'm not sure. Worried about what Fudge will do to them, I suppose. That and it costs money and effort to create a change. What would you do to make people start thinking for themselves?" Lucius asked, turning his full focus on his companion, momentarily forgetting the food on his plate.

"Start my own paper," was Harry's immediate reply. "I was thinking... I could copy some of the rarer books I have access to, and then I could use that money to start up a paper. That way, I don't have to worry about turning a profit anytime soon, and people like Dumbledore and Fudge can't stop me by keeping me away from my inheritance," Harry said, his enthusiasm making his eyes glow with energy and determination.

"I could use that paper to make my opinions well known, and I could make it an interesting read by adding all kinds of stuff, aimed at different ages. For the kids, there could be articles about different animals, sticking to the cute and fluffy ones like Kneazles and Phoenixes. We could make it a sort of Care of Magical Creature class for children.

"For the adolescence there could be articles about... I don't know, articles about different careers that are available in the wizarding world? With interesting interviews of people that are successful within those careers?" Harry asked, glancing at Lucius, trying to gauge his reactions to Harry's suggestion.

"For the adults there could be articles about the best way to run a home, and how to best cure scraped knees and headaches and stuff. There should also be interesting articles about important historical events and... Well, anything and everything that will make people realise that there are more to our world than just casting spells using weird words, and gossip!" Harry said passionately, glaring at Lucius as if he was the one responsible for the state of their world.

"I must say, I do believe that that is the most interesting idea you have had to date," Lucius said in admiration, his mind already spinning with the possibilities Harry's idea presented.

"You really think so?" Harry asked timidly, his earlier enthusiasm deserting him, leaving him feeling tired and drained. The hard work he had done in the gardens earlier adding to his feeling of exhaustion.

"I most certainly do!" Lucius stated forcibly, wanting Harry to know without doubt that the blond truly favoured the idea. "It will take some time and effort putting together, but it isn't impossible. Especially if we hire a staff to do the mundane work, who will also be responsible for the majority of the articles. That way you will only need to approve of what should be printed and what is to be banned; and with writing your own articles of course. That way you should still have plenty of time for homework, the DA, and anything else you wish to do with your time," Lucius said with a slight smirk.

"Gosh, whatever should I do to fill my days?" Harry said, fluttering his eyelashes in a coquettish manner. Laughing slightly, he abandoned his fake pose. "Seriously, do you think that could work getting my views across to the public? And do you think we could use that paper to steer people away from the Dark Lord, _and_ to make them realise what atrocious acts the Ministry is doing with their ridiculous laws against Dark Creatures?" Harry asked, giving Lucius a pleading look.

"Yes, I think you could. You would have to be careful, but since you are who you are, people will buy the paper, if nothing else on the fact that the Boy Who Lived was producing it. Yes, I know that you hate the fame the wizarding world has bestowed upon you. However, if you used your fame to do good, then it isn't such a bad thing, is it?" Lucius asked, giving Harry an intent look.

"I suppose not." Harry grudgingly admitted, although he did not sound especially happy.

"It is time you face the reality of the world, Harry. You will always be an important person to the wizarding world. A symbol of you like, the living proof that good can prevail over evil. You may hate it as much as you wish, but you can not hide from it. You have done so for the past five year, have you not? And what good has that done you? Haven't you just given those seeking to exploit and use you the power to do just that?" Lucius asked gently, not wanting to hurt the Elf's feelings, but needing him to see the truth. The truth that Harry Potter was who he was, a symbol for the Light, and the one and only hope of thousands of people.

Harry sighed gustily. He hated to admit it, but deep down he knew that Malfoy was right.

"Don't worry, Harry. You have me on your side now. Not to mention Severus. And Mercury too for that matter. We will not allow either Fudge or Skeeter to run roughshod over you anymore. We are both willing and able to stand up to them, something Albus should have done years ago as your magical guardian. We do have laws against abusing minors for this very reason. It is too bad that no one bothered to remember that where you are concerned," Lucius said dryly, giving Harry a wry smile that the boy returned. It felt good to know that he had Lucius at his side, looking out for his interests, and that the blond was prepared to step in if he thought someone was abusing him. No matter who it was.

HPDM

"Harry? What are you doing?" Draco asked, walking into the library where Harry was sitting, draped over an overstuffed chair, staring into space.

Harry shrugged his shoulder, turning his head slightly to look at the Veela. "Nothing much, just thinking. What about you? Did things go well in the dungeon?" Harry asked with a teasing smile on his lips. He still couldn't quite figure out why those obsessed with Potions insisted on putting their labs in cold, drafty old dungeons.

"Yeah, Severus did this amazing potion; you should have seen him, Harry! Watching Severus brew is like watching poetry in motion. The man is simply amazing!" Draco said in a rush, tricking Harry into a burst of laughter.

"Harry?"

"Careful there, Draco, or your father might think you are out to woo his mate away from him," Harry teased, not about to admit to anyone, not even himself, that he did feel a small stab of fear in his heart that maybe Draco did feel something for the other man. Severus _was_ a Potions master after all, and even though Harry might have a bigger understanding for the subject these days, he would probably never grow to love it the way Draco and Severus did.

"Nah," Draco said dismissively, failing to pick up on his mate's feelings, too filled with the memory of what he had just experienced. "Severus is my godfather. I've known him all my life. You are my mate, Harry, you and only you."

Harry smiled, feeling a little better, but still... What did he have to offer the other boy? A life filled with hardship and strife. Being the Boy Who Lived, Harry would never have the peace and quite he craved, especially if he was going to take a more active part in this blasted war. How could he ask Draco to deal with that when Harry himself couldn't?

"So, what did you do today?" Draco asked, belatedly re-focusing on his mate. "You didn't do anything too strenuous did you? I don't want you to overtax yourself so soon after coming out of your coma."

"No. I just spent some time outside in the garden, and then I ate lunch with your father before coming in here," Harry replied, making light of the hard work he had done earlier, not wanting the Veela to worry.

"Glad to hear that you enjoyed yourself," Draco said, summoning the book he had been reading earlier. Settling into the chair next to Harry's, the blond teen settled down to do some reading. The book was an old Potions tome, and there were several potions that Draco wished to research and eventually try to brew if Severus agreed that his research was thorough enough.

However, as the afternoon wore on, the Veela slowly became aware of the fact that his mate was brooding. Once he had noticed the Elf's gloomy mood, Draco became more and more in tune with it, and eventually he started to worry. Had Pansy's curse hurt him more than they were aware of?

"Harry? What is wrong?" Draco asked, putting his book down and moved to where Harry was sitting, staring gloomily into the fireplace.

"Hmm? Nothing, Draco, don't worry," Harry said absentmindedly, miles away and not really hearing what the blond was saying.

"Harry? What are you thinking about?" Draco asked, moving Harry's legs so that he could sit on the brunet's lap, wrapping him up in a hug.

"It is nothing, Draco. Leave it alone," Harry said in warning.

Draco didn't listen. "No, it is clear that something is bothering you. Is it something I did? Are you still hurt from the curse? Did someone else do anything to upset you? Damn it, Harry, talk to me!" Draco snapped, starting to get truly upset, not to mention worried.

"I said it is nothing! Can't you let it be?" Harry demanded, starting to get annoyed himself.

"Is something the matter? I could hear you clear through the door while walking down the corridor," Lucius said, entering the library and starting the two teens.

"It is nothing," Harry muttered petulantly.

"Harry is upset but he won't tell me why!" Draco exclaimed with a pout.

Lucius watched from one stubborn boy to the other, wondering why he had to be saddled with the three most hard-headed people on the planet. Sighing deeply he walked over to where the teens were sitting and looked down at them, his fists planted on his hips. "How about you both tell me what is bothering you? Taking your frustrations out on each other is not the way to resolve anything. Trust me on that," Lucius said, thinking back on all the times Narcissa had vented her temper by screaming at him. Both their tempers had flared, and when the dust finally settled, nothing had been accomplished, and both had walked away feeling unsettled and usually sporting a migraine.

"I don't want to talk about it," Harry said, looking away from both blonds.

"I'm sorry, Loveling, but something is clearly upsetting you. Is it what we talked about over lunch?" Lucius asked, ignoring the death glare Draco sent him for upsetting his mate.

"No, Look, there is nothing you can do, so just leave it, alright!" Harry snapped, still not looking at either Malfoy.

"No! That is not alright. Damn it, Harry, you are my mate! I want to--" Draco began, but came to an abrupt halt when he was dumped onto the floor by an enraged Elf.

"You want! _You want_? That is the problem, isn't it?" Harry shouted, exploding up from the chair, startling the Veelas by his sudden outburst. "Everyone _want_ something, and they don't care who it is that pays the prize! Especially as most of the time I am the one paying it. But, hey, that is alright, because I'm Harry Potter, I'm the Boy Who Lived!" Harry said with a sneer. "Harry Potter has everything, so that is alright that he pays, right?"

"Harry? What brought this on? Was it something my Father said or did?" Draco asked, slowly climbing to his feet, rubbing his smarting rear end.

"I told you that I don't want to talk about it!" Harry howled, throwing his hands up in the air. Feeling his control start to slip, Harry closed his eyes and focused. The next moment he Apparated away, leaving two flabbergast Malfoys behind.

HPDM

"That was some display of magic you did. The shockwaves could be felt all the way down to the dungeons," Severus said, walking up to where Harry was sitting and mangling a blade of grass. "Care to tell me what happened to bring such a temper tantrum on?"

Harry snorted but continued to take his frustration out on the hapless piece of grass.

"The crime must have been heinous for you to punish it so severely," Severus said solemnly, sinking down on the ground next to the boy.

Harry gave the Potions master a startled look, and then he looked down at the blade of grass twisted between his fingers. Snorting in reluctant amusement, Harry muttered, "Damn you, Sev." But there was no real heat behind the words.

Severus ignored the muttered words and merely enfolded the youth into a hug, not caring that Harry was not welcoming the intrusion on his personal space, sitting stiff and unyielding inside the embrace. Severus merely made himself comfortable, pulling Harry fully onto his lap once he was settled. "There then, that is better, wouldn't you say?"

"I was perfectly comfortable before you came and bothered me, Sev. Can't you go and pester Draco or something? I'm fine! I just want to be alone for a bit, is that too much to ask all of a sudden!" Harry demanded, twisting around so that he could glare more effectively at the insufferable man.

Severus considered Harry's outburst calmly. Then he just wrapped his arms more securely around the Elf and said, "For years I did my best to keep people at a safe distance by behaving just as you are behaving now. It didn't work. Albus refused to adhere to my clearly stated boundaries, forcing his company on me.

"Lucius, even though he was bound to another, never forgot who his true mate was, and he refused to keep away, spending as much time as he could with me, ignoring my angry attitude. And Draco... That boy just wrapped himself around my heart from the moment he was born, and simply refused to allow me to leave.

"Believe me, I have tried to keep everyone at a safe distance, and yet, somehow, those who care for me, and a few others," he added under his breath, "still managed to plant themselves right where they wanted to be, no matter what I did to push them away," Severus said seriously, staring into space as he remembered his actions of the past.

"Now, you can either learn from my example, or, you can be your usual stubborn self. It doesn't matter much which, since I have no intentions of budging from this spot, and neither are you."

Harry sighed, a deep sigh that came from the bottom of his heart. Then he sagged, ending up resting his forehead against Severus' shoulder.

"I only had one place I considered home," Harry eventually said, closing his eyes in despair. "The Dursleys were never home to me. Hell, I never truly considered the family, not the way you are supposed to be able to think of your family," he added sadly, remembering all the times the Dursleys had treated him poorly.

"Hogwarts became my first home. I never said it out loud, but in my heart I knew what that castle meant to me. Life there wasn't perfect. Far from it, what with crazy Defence teacher trying to kill or maim me on a yearly basis; and then there were you and the Slytherins, all of you only too happy making my life miserably," Harry said with a watery chuckle.

"But no matter how bad it got, it was still a thousand times better than what I had at the Dursleys. And Dumbledore managed to ruin it for me. He wasn't satisfied with taking everything from me, he just had to ruin Hogwarts for me as well. I didn't think I could hate anyone, aside from Riddle but somehow he doesn't count. Hell, I don't even hate Peter Pettigrew and Bellatrix. Not really, but I am this close to hating Albus Dumbledore and that scares me, Sev." Harry whispered his confession as if he was afraid that he was going to be judged.

"Why does it scare you so much, Harry?" Severus asked gently, reaching up to run his fingers through the Elf's long, soft hair.

"Because that is how Tom Riddle began. He learned to hate, and we all know what happened to him," Harry whispered miserably.

"Oh, Harry, you are not going to turn Dark, and you are most definitely not going to become the next Dark Lord," Severus replied with a soft groan.

"How do you know? How can you be so sure?" Harry demanded to know, lifting his head so he could look Severus searchingly, not sure what to believe anymore.

"Because you have a kind and gentle soul, Harry. Because, in spite of all the hardships you have lived through, you still have the capability to look to the good in people, no matter who they are."

"How can you be so sure of that?" Harry whispered, tears starting to fill his eyes, and no matter how hard he fought, he could not push them back.

"Because if you didn't, we wouldn't be speaking right now," Severus murmured, pulling the distraught boy close. "Because if you weren't capable of looking past the facade people present, you and Draco would not be together today. And you would not have accepted Lucius Malfoy into your life," Severus replied solemnly, willing the youth in his arms to believe.

"I hate him, Severus. He took the one place where I actually felt safe away from me. How could he do that to me? How can he preach about giving people second chances, when he won't even give me a first chance? How can he just forgive Pansy for what she did to me? Would it kill him to put me and my feelings first, just this once?" Harry asked between his sobs.

Severus had no answer to give, so he did what he could, offered understanding and love, allowing Harry to cry himself to sleep.

HPDM

"How is he?" Lucius asked, reaching out to stroke the back of his fingers down a wet cheek.

"Exhausted. Heart broken. Angry. Take your pick," Severus said tiredly, looking down at the Elf who was sleeping wrapped up in his Veela's arms and wings.

"It was too much to hope for that he would be able to just shake off Dumbledore's latest betrayal," Lucius said with a sigh. "I suspected that Harry was taking things harder than he let on when we discussed the war earlier over lunch. But I didn't realise just how deep the wound ran."

"Harry feels that the only place he ever called home has been taken from him. I can't say that I blame him. How can you feel safe in a school filled with magic wielding children when you know that if you are hexed, no actions will be taken against the culprits? You and I both lived through that with the Marauders, and they never resorted to the Unforgivables. I truly thought Albus had learned his lesson with us, but apparently he hasn't. How can he be so blind!

"And how long will it be before one of the Dark Lord's unmarked followers attending Hogwarts decides to make a name for themselves by destroying their Master's number one enemy? I'm not so sure I want Harry to return to Hogwarts, Lucius. I'm starting to wonder if it wouldn't be better if we all stayed here, far away from that man's reach," Severus admitted, for the first time voicing his fears out loud.

"I don't know, Sev. I truly do not know. There are merits to doing as you suggest. However, that will prevent us from saving others from the Dark Lord's grasp. Besides, your Slytherins are going to need you now, more than ever, especially if it is true what the house-elves said and the other Houses _have_ declared open season on the snakes," Lucius said, allowing the worry he was feeling to show. He had kept it carefully hidden while around Harry, not wanting to burden the boy while he was still recovering. However, they would have to tell him what was going on, and soon.

The two men lapsed into silence, watching over the two boys who had come to mean so much to them, drawing strength from the fact that they weren't alone in their worries, and in the knowledge that the other one would always be there for them, no matter what.

HPDM

"Draco? Where are we?" Harry asked, looking around with curiosity. They were standing next to the largest bath Harry had ever seen; it even rivalled the Prefect's bathroom at Hogwarts.

"Alright!" Draco crooned, looking around happily before divesting himself of his clothes and jumping into the water, making Harry nice and wet with the large splash his landing created.

"Draco Malfoy! I'll get you for that!" Harry cried out in indignation, wiping the water from his eyes.

"Hah! You have to catch me first!" Draco taunted, swimming rapidly to the other side of the pool, sticking his tongue out and blowing a raspberry the moment he was safely out of reach.

"You still haven't told me where we are," Harry called, figuring he would distract the blond, making him relax a little before making his move. "This is not anyplace I have ever seen before."

"We are still in Austria," Draco replied, a blush staining his cheeks lightly for some reason, making him even more beautiful in Harry's eyes. "Do you have some kind of fascination with that country?" Draco asked, getting momentarily sidetracked. "Anyway, this is the main pool inside the castle. I used to love it when we visited there when I was little. Father and I would spend our time playing in the water. Narcissa hated getting her hair wet, or so she claimed, so she never joined us. I think that is why Father played with me in the pool, because he knew that she wouldn't want to join us," Draco said, a faraway look in his eyes.

Harry's heart clenched painfully every time Draco talked so causally about the callus treatment he had received from that woman. Narcissa was his mother, for Merlin's sake! She was _supposed_ to care for her son, love him, and play with him. The more he heard about Narcissa Black, the more it became apparent that the only person she loved was herself. Clearly, she had been given the perfect name by her parents.

Shaking his head, Harry slipped into the water and carefully made his way over to the blond. He had wanted to distract him, making it easier for Harry to jump him, he hadn't meant to make him sad.

Draco was effectively pulled out of his thoughts by a lithe body wrapping itself around his own. "Aren't you a tad overdressed for this party?" he asked with a soft laugh, feeling Harry's leather trousers rub against his bare legs.

"Nope," Harry replied cheekily, planting a soft kiss on Draco's cheek.

"No?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow and pulling his head back slightly so he could get a better look at Harry's face.

"Nope. I wanted to take a stroll in the woods with you. You, apparently, wanted to go for a swim. So I'll just sit here on the edge and watch while you swim," Harry said with a laugh, heaving himself out of the water and settled on the edge of the pool, dangling his feet back and forth, preventing Draco from latching on to him and drag him back into the pool.

"And who said I wanted to swim?" Draco asked archly, putting on his best leer.

Harry laughed merrily, splashing the blond deliberately, a small payback for the unexpected shower he had subjected Harry to earlier. "You don't? Then why in the world did you wish for such a large pool if you weren't in the mood to swim?" he asked innocently, his eyes dancing with mischief.

"Harry!" Draco groaned, now was not the time to be obtuse!

"Well, if you aren't in the mood to swim, will you come with me for a walk in the woods?" Harry asked hopefully, pulling his feet out of the water, making it look as if he was about to stand up.

"Oh, no, you don't!" Draco said firmly, latching onto the nearest leg and dragged Harry into the water, taking care not to hit his head on the stone edge surrounding the pool.

Harry disappeared under the water with a splash, resurfacing several feet away with a spluttering laugh. "You could just have said no, you know," Harry teased, before turning slightly and starting to swim.

"It isn't that kind of exercise I'm in the mood for," Draco drawled, before giving chase.

Harry managed to stay out of reach for a few minutes. However, his peels of laughter kept him from moving properly, and Draco had little problem catching him in a tight embrace.

"Ha! Caught you," Draco crowed, darting in and stealing a kiss.

"That you did," Harry agreed once he could talk again. "What ever should we do now?" he added with a teasing grin that soon turned into a smile filled with love.

"We could always remove those wet leathers of yours. I wouldn't want them to start... chafing," Draco suggested huskily, rubbing his body against his mate's.

Unfortunately, wet leathers really are impractical when you are trying to seduce someone. Cursing softly as the sensations he was feeling were not pleasurable, Draco took matters into his own hands and towed his chuckling mate back to the edge of the pool, gesturing for him to climb back out of the water.

Figuring he had teased the other boy enough, Harry didn't put up any further resistance. Grabbing hold of the edge Harry used his arms and pulled himself out of the pool, impressing the blond with his arm muscles, and teasing him with the slight wiggling of his ass.

Growling, Draco hurriedly pulled himself out of the water, before tackling his mate, kissing him hungrily. "Have you any idea how long it has been since I could hold you properly? How long it's been since I could kiss you? Feel you? I didn't even have any of my Veela dreams while you were in that blasted Healing coma!" Draco all but snarled, punctuating his words with soft kisses all over Harry's face, neck, and chest.

"Then why did you avoid me today? I thought..."

"I'm sorry, Harry, truly I am," Draco said, looking up into hurt, green eyes, only now realising that Harry had misunderstood him completely. Stopping his teasing, the Veela moved up so that he could look his mate's eyes as Draco went on to explain himself.

"It's been so long, Harry, and I was afraid that I would be unable to hold back if I spent anymore time with you. It was pure torture holding you in my arms yesterday, with every instinct I possess _screaming_ at me to claim you before anything else happened. Before you were taken from me," he added in a soft whisper. "Don't you see? I _had_ to get away from you for a little while, or I might have forced myself on you, and if that happened I could never forgive myself." Draco pressed his face into Harry's neck, fighting back tears.

"Oh, Draco," Harry sighed, running his hands up and down the blond's back. "Next time you feel like this, _tell_ me. Please? I thought... I thought I had disappointed you. That you had finally realised what a lousy deal you've got in me and was trying to politely pull away from me." It was Harry's turn to fight back tears.

"You... _idiot_!" Draco said lovingly, reaching up to wipe the tears away. "You are my mate! _Nothing_ can change that. I will love you to the day I die, so you better get used to always having me underfoot!"

Harry chuckled and pulled Draco into a tight hug. "I hear you, Draco, I hear you."

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**A/N:** Well, what do you know? I am actually back. It took a bit longer than I figured, by hopefully I should be back on track now. I especially wish to thank my reviewers. I have received some amazingly wonderful comments, and they really helped me start writing on this story again; thank you!

**Next Time:  
**Harry has to make a decision. Is he really going to go back to Hogwarts?  
And if he does, what shall he do with Albus Dumbledore?  
Until then…


	57. Should I Stay Or Should I Go? III

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter, but by Merlin, don't I wish!

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**_Should I Stay Or Should I Go? III_**

**_Sunday, Nov. 3_**

Harry looked around the breakfast table, sighed deeply, and put down his fork. "We need to talk, don't we?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Harry?" Draco asked, looking up at Harry with a mix of worry and curiosity.

"I take it that Draco doesn't know?" Harry asked, arching an eyebrow at the two adults.

"We saw no reason to add to his worries," Lucius replied, arching an eyebrow at Harry.

"I take it you somehow have found out what is happening?" Severus asked, thinking back on the events of the previous day.

"Yeah, I talked some to Dobby while I was out working in the garden," Harry said with a nod, looking down at the tabletop.

"Why would you be talking to Dobby? What is it you aren't telling me? And hey! What do you mean that you were outside _working_? I thought you were just outside, soaking up some sun, and taking it easy," Draco said, sounding most displeased.

Harry couldn't help but smile, and wrapped an arm around his irate Veela's waist, sighing happily as Draco wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close.

"Before you two get any more sappy, let's take this to the parlour. The breakfast table is not the place for this discussion," Severus said curtly, getting to his feet.

"Sev?" Draco asked, giving his godfather a worried look.

"Let's take this discussion to the garden. I think we will all feel better there," Harry said quietly. With a sigh of regret, he pulled away from Draco and climbed to his feet.

Draco watched them with a worried frown, but didn't comment as he followed his Elf to the garden. Whatever was going on, it was bad. Very bad.

HPDM

"So, who wants to go first?" Draco asked sardonically, looking around the group. They had been sitting in the garden for five minutes and no one had yet to open their mouth and start filling him in.

Lucius and Severus shared a glance, and then the blond aristocrat sighed, running a hand through his hair. "What do you know of the situation at Hogwarts?" he asked, picking up on of his mate's hands, toying with the long, slender fingers.

"Not much," Draco admitted, starting to get truly worried. "I take it something has happened? What? Dumbles stupidity has reached new heights?" he asked, attempting to infuse some levity into the gloomy mood the others were projecting.

Harry snorted, but instead of saying anything, he curled up around his Veela, silently seeking comfort from his mate.

"Father? What did he do?" Draco asked quietly, starting to get scared.

"The problem, my Dragon, is that he did not do anything," Lucius said with a soft sigh. "I have been in contact with Mercury. The house-elves have been kind enough to act as curriers for us, delivering our mail securely.

"What Merc had to report…" Lucius trailed off, shaking his head in profound sadness.

"Because Albus didn't do anything about Pansy -- the girl didn't even get a detention!" Severus said with a snort, a sour look on his face, "things have turned rather… nasty." Severus sighed deeply and squeezed Lucius' hand. It looked as if he was drawing strength from his fellow Slytherin.

"Draco, the Slytherin House became divided in two. Those who supported you and Harry -- and you have support from far more snakes than even I thought possible. Your supporters did not like what Parkinson did and set out to get revenge for you. And as you know, a Slytherin set on revenge can get very creative," Severus said, a wry smile playing on his lips for a moment.

However, the amusement swiftly died. "The other half of the House figured that Pansy had the right idea, and they have been stirring up troubles for everyone, not only their fellow snakes.

"Unfortunately, things did not stop there. The other Houses, most notably the Gryffindors, took umbrage that a Slytherin cast an Unforgivable in the Great Hall, and they wanted blood. They have been attacking the Slytherins, going for anyone wearing green and silver, not caring on whose side there were."

"But… what about Dumbledore?" Draco asked, feeling a chill run up and down his spine. What of his friends? What about Blaise? Were they alright? "What about my friends? Are they alright?" Draco was starting to grow frantic. The grim looks on his father's and godfather's faces caused him to break out into a cold sweat.

"Albus chose to do nothing at first," Severus said with a heavy sigh. "Apparently, he figured that things would calm down soon. He even had the gall to compare the situation to the times when the Marauders declared war on us Slytherins. The situations are _nothing_ alike!" he said with a hiss, suddenly looking murderous.

"Dragon, Blaise is in St. Mungo's. He took a hex aimed at three first years. He will recover, but he will probably lose the use of both his eyes," Lucius said, his voice heavy with sorrow and regret.

"No!" Draco shouted, coming out of his chair, magic crackling in the air around him. "How could this happen? Hogwarts is supposed to be safe, for Salazar's sake!" Feeling too enraged to remain still, Draco began to pace back and forth. "Who did it? Who was it that cast that curse? And what curse did they use?"

"It was a group of seventh years from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw," Lucius said with a sad sigh, porously omitting what curse the cowards had used.

"I'm going to fucking kill them!" Draco snarled. He felt angry. He felt helpless. He wanted to bloody maim and torture the ones who had dared to hurt the gentle boy. Blaise might have been a Slytherin, but there wasn't a mean bone in his body.

"How could things get so completely out of hand?" Harry asked, wishing he could take the pain away from the Veela. Only the knowledge that they were in the position to prevent that this mess ever happened was stopping him from marching over to Hogwarts and execute the Headmaster on the spot.

"Because the teachers and the Headmaster did nothing to prevent the situation from escalating. They should have punished Pansy when she cursed you: they didn't. They should have put a stop to the whispers of retaliation; they didn't. They should have come down hard on the Gryffindors when they hexed the Slytherins in revenge for what Pansy did. Again, they didn't.

"Even though each encounter grew in intensity. Even though the atmosphere of hate and fear kept spiralling upward for each new encounter. Even though the spells used grew more and more sinister. The Headmaster did nothing to stop it, claiming that things would calm down and return to normal as soon as you returned to the school," Severus said, looking sad and heartbroken.

"When the Elven King arrived, demanding to see you, Harry, Dumbledore became ecstatic. He completely ignored the school from that point on, and spent all his time looking for us and try to figure out a way to get the King to side with him in the war," Lucius said, picking up the burden of filling in the teens.

"From what Mercury managed to find out, McGonagall finally remembered that she is Deputy Headmistress, and she began to try to bring order to the school. But by then it was too late. The other three Houses had already declared open war on Slytherin, hexing and cursing anyone they could catch off guard.

"Fifty Slytherin pupils are currently recovering at St. Mungo's. Ten Hufflepuffs, twelve Ravenclaws, and eighteen Gryffindors are also being treated at that establishment. A cornered snake is extremely dangerous, as the other Houses soon found out. Unfortunately, that only added to the fire…" Lucius sighed deeply, giving the two teens a searching look.

"The Aurors were finally called in, and they have shut the school down. Mercury sent word yesterday that Hogwarts will be closed." Harry gasped at that news. Dobby had never told him things had escalated that far!

"The students will be sent home until a thorough investigation has been conducted. Only once the guilty party has been identified and dealt with, will the school be reopened. However, I doubt that there will be a change in management. Albus Dumbledore is too wily, not to mention that he has the ear of too many Ministry officials. He will not take responsibility, and will probable weasel himself off the hook by stating that he is too important in the war efforts or some such nonsense," Lucius said, making a sour face.

Harry sighed deeply, curling up into a ball. Wrapping his arms around his knees tightly, Harry allowed his curtain of hair to hide his face from the others. "This is all my fault," he whispered.

"What! How in Hades can this be your fault?" Draco shouted, turning around to glare at Harry. "You weren't even _there_!"

"No, but I was the one who pranked Pansy and Ron. That's what started this entire mess," Harry said, looking up long enough to glare hotly at Draco, daring the blond boy to deny the truth of his words.

"Harry, you are not responsible for this. Albus Dumbledore is the one who is at fault. He is the Headmaster of the school; it is his job, his _duty_ to ensure the safety of all the students. Yes, you slipped Parkinson that potion; however, it was _Pansy_ who decided that using the Cruciatus on you were a valid response. And it was _Dumbledore_ who did nothing to punish her, thereby setting an example for the other students to follow. There were numerous times that Dumbledore could have put a stop to this entire mess. He never did.

"Then there are the other teachers. They are all old hands when it comes to dealing with adolescent children. They knew what could happen, and yet they did nothing. They didn't even argue with Albus when he first decreed that Parkinson should go unpunished. I was there. I was the only one who did not agree, and I was summarily shut down by every teacher present," Severus said, coming to kneel next to the Elf, putting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"You are powerful, Harry, and you have an important part to play in this. But that does not mean that you are responsible for everyone and everything. Albus Dumbledore allowed himself to be blinded by the war. He has ignored a lot of things that he should have dealt with, both at the school and with the Order of Phoenix. Instead, he put his entire focus on the big picture, conveniently forgetting to attend to the small details. But Harry, those small details are just as important.

"And what about your friends and fellow students? Are you responsible for their stupidity as well? They are all individuals, Harry, and you are not responsible for their actions. We do have a thing called free will. You might have heard of it?" Severus asked dryly, eliciting a small snorting laugh from the boy.

"Severus is right, Harry. You might have put things in motion by pranking Parkinson and Weasley. However, were you not reacting to their actions? Were not your intentions to leave them alone? Only, they refused to leave Draco and you alone, so you replied to their actions, didn't you? Don't you see, Harry? Dumbledore allowed things to get out of hand. He didn't bother to deal with the situation while it was small, and he refused to deal with it when it became big, allowing it to get completely out of hand. Hell, by doing nothing, the Headmaster practically encouraged things to go overboard," Lucius said, coming to kneel at Harry's other side, adding his hand to the bowed shoulders.

Draco had listened to what the two adults were saying. He longed to go to his mate and comfort him; however, he was too enraged to be of any use to the Elf at the moment. His friends had been hurt. And he had not been there to help protect them. Even before they entered Hogwarts, he and Blaise had made a promise to always be there for each other, no matter what. Promising that not even different Houses would have split the two of them apart. Only, he hadn't. He had been here, with Harry, worrying and fretting over his mate, willing him to recover.

Pausing in his restless pacing, Draco looked down at the brunet, and his heart clenched at the pitiful sight he made. He looked so small and vulnerable. If Draco was feeling guilty for not being there for Blaise, how much guiltier mustn't Harry feel for failing the entire school…

"Father and Severus are right, love. You have done nothing wrong. In fact, if you ask me, you have shown remarkable restraint in the dealings with the immature prats attending what is supposed to be the finest school in England," Draco said, putting on his most haughty air, thrusting his chin high into the air.

Glancing down at Harry, Draco kept his pose until his mate looked up at him, and the blond felt a thrill of happiness go through him as Harry cracked a smile at his antics. True, it was a very small smile, but it was a smile.

Falling gracefully to his knees before his mate, Draco pulled him into a firm hug. "What has happened at Hogwarts is tragic, and I could cheerfully murder that old fool for allowing things to escalate the way he did. But Harry, thanks to you we have an opportunity to stop this from ever happening. We never used that Time-Turner of yours. From what I understand, it will be possible for us to go back in time and make sure that this madness never happens," Draco said, running a soothing hand up and down his mate's back.

"I know that, Draco, but…" Harry trailed off with a sad sigh, burying his face in Draco's neck.

"But?" Draco asked, waiting patiently for his mate to gather his thoughts.

"But Hogwarts is the first home I have ever had," Harry admitted slowly, whispering the words as if he was afraid to speak them out loud. "The castle was the fist place where I have ever felt happy. And Dumbledore took it away from me, just as he has taken everything else from me.

"I know that we can and will go back in time to make sure that this never happens. The others will never know the fate waiting for them. But, Draco, I will know, and I can never forgive Dumbledore for doing this to me. To all of us," Harry admitted, dashing the back of his hands over his eyes, wiping away the tears of anger, frustration, and sorrow.

"I know, love," Draco whispered, holding on to his mate tighter.

HPDM

Harry had no idea how long he sat there, soaking up the love and support offered by the people how now considered family. Breathing deeply, Harry filled his lungs with the scent of his mate, allowing it to soothe him further.

Keeping his eyes closed, the Elf could feel the magic coming from the three Slytherins supporting him, and Harry could feel his emotions being grounded by their unconditional support. He could also feel his magic ground itself in the very earth they were sitting on, and Harry swore to never again forget that he needed to feel the life force of plants to feel at peace with himself and with his magic.

Unbidden, an image popped into his mind. It was Draco, desperately pleading with him when he was once again flying off the handle about being different. The blond was arguing with him, reminding him that he was an Elf, a Dark Elf to boot, pointing out that he was a builder, a warrior.

Remembering the passion, the absolute conviction in silvery eyes, Harry finally found peace with who and what he was. He was not a freak. He was an Elf. Yes, he was powerful. Yes, he was destined to deal with Voldemort. But so what? Unlike most, Harry had the powers to do what needed to be done.

Tom Riddle needed to be stopped. He had run amok for too long, with little to no opposition. It was time that man learned that just because you had a crappy childhood, it did not give you the right to become a murdering monster.

Having experienced first hand the misguided actions of Albus Dumbledore, Harry could better understand where Voldemort was coming from. Still, the man had gone about things in totally the wrong way. It was true that the wizarding world needed to change. It needed to evolve. It needed to come out of the middle ages and learn -- or should that be relearn? -- tolerance of other species. And the Ministry of Magic definitely needed to be shaken up and reconstructed, preferably from the ground up.

But, starting a war and throwing the world into chaos and terror was not a good way to create those changes. No, Tom Riddle had to be stopped before the madness of his first reign could return.

Harry broke into a wicked grin. Everyone had been so focused on Lord Voldemort and finding ways to stop him that no one had even considered about Albus Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge. If you looked at those two men at a certain angle, then couldn't one claim that those two were Dark Lords as well?

"How would you define a Dark Lord?" Harry asked, pulling back slightly so he could look his companions in the face.

"Harry?" Draco looked at his mate in confusion. That was not a question he had been expecting. Then he noted the wicked gleam in green eyes, and an answering light appeared in his own. "What are you thinking, love?" Draco asked, just knowing that Harry was plotting again, and he was eager to join in on the fun.

"What _are_ you thinking, Harry?" Severus asked, eyeing the brunet suspiciously. His many years working as a professor, not to mention his experiences as Head of House, had taught him that that look never boded well. Add a powerful and knowledgeable wizard like Harry and the Potions master just _knew_ that mayhem and chaos would be the result of Potter's latest harebrained notion.

Harry just shrugged his shoulders, still sporting his wicked little grin.

Draco huffed and reached out to poke his mate in the ribs, causing the teen to giggle and squirm. However, before things could escalate out of control, Lucius captured the two boys attention by stated warningly, "Boys!"

Two sets of eyes turned to regard him with an innocent air.

"Nice try, you two. Now, how about you explain what it is you are thinking," Lucius said, not about to be swayed by a pair puppy-dog looks. No matter how well they were projected.

Harry broke into a genuine smile, shifting his body so he could stretch his legs out and pull Draco down to sit on his lap. "I just got to thinking. Everyone agrees that Tom Riddle is a Dark Lord, and that he needs to be stopped. But in their own ways, aren't Fudge and Dumbledore just as bad? Fudge is using the power of his office to further himself. He has no regards for the people he is supposed to serve. Furthermore, he is taking bribes, which proves he is more interested in lining his own pockets rather than doing what is right. Isn't that sort of what a Dark Lord does? Going out of your way to gain money and power, not caring about who gets hurt in the process?" Harry asked, glancing up at Lucius and Severus, who both had a thoughtful look on their faces.

"But Fudge isn't using the Dark Arts. Isn't that sort of implied that a Dark Lord uses the Dark Arts?" Draco asked, intrigued by the way Harry's mind was working.

"Maybe, but he sent Sirius to Azkaban for life without a trial. He dragged me to stand full trial for defending myself against those Dementors. It might not be the Dark Arts, but the end result is sort of the same, isn't it? Causing pain and suffering for the victim? And Merlin alone knows what other crimes Fudge is guilty of," Harry said, fresh waves of grief washing over him as he remembered Sirius's fate.

Shaking his head, Harry returned to the issues at hand. "Then there is Dumbledore. He has been neglecting me for all my life, placing me with abusive people, using the excuse that it kept me safe from Voldemort to keep people off his back. And if you consider the things he has allowed to happen at Hogwarts… Wouldn't you say that that is as bad as if he had cast repeated Crucio on the students?" Harry asked, giving the three men a serious look.

"If you ask me, Tom Riddle isn't the only Dark Lord that is destroying our world. I would state that we have three. And the prophecy that Dumbledore showed me doesn't dictate which Dark Lord it is I am supposed to defeat. It just says that I shall have a power the Dark Lord's knows not."

"I must say that you have several compelling arguments," Lucius said musingly. "What are you planning to do? Fight all three of them?" he asked, not liking the sound of that. It was bad enough that Harry was Voldemort's number one enemy. If he openly went after both the Minister and Albus Dumbledore…

"In a way," Harry replied solemnly. "I know that I can't just declare war on all three of them, no matter how much I might want to. No, I'm going to pull out my Slytherin side, holding nothing back. Then I am going to take Hogwarts away from Dumbledore, by uniting the four Houses. Also, if we create enough chaos, wouldn't the school governors and possibly the Aurors have to be called in to investigate? Especially since the Headmaster has accredited the pranks involving the suits of armours to the Dark Lord?"

"Hmm, I suppose," Lucius hummed, not agreeing with Harry's statement, but not totally disagreeing to it either.

"It would have to be some pranks, however, if you are to involve the school governors. Can you come up with pranks that are that disruptive and yet will not harm any of the students?" Severus asked, not wanting to save the castle from one type of chaos only to have Harry unleash another type of havoc.

"Don't worry, Sev. I'm not planning on harming the students. They have had enough of that sort of thing, don't you think? No, my target will be the Headmaster. For too long he has been sitting there, safe on his throne, unchallenged. I'm going to make that bastard's life miserable. He won't be able to take one step without something going wrong. And if I add the other professors into that mix, I bet you a Galleon that it won't be long before they themselves are demanding the authorities to come and conduct a thorough investigation, no matter what the Headmaster's wishes are, as long as they will get their calm lives back," Harry said, determination shining out of his green eyes.

"Exactly what kind of pranks are you plotting, Harry?" Severus asked suspiciously, not liking the idea of him getting humiliated. Or worse.

Harry smiled gently, reaching out to touch the Potions master's cheek. "Don't worry, Severus, I am not my father," he said softly, having a fair idea what was going through the other man's mind. "Besides, I wasn't planning on involving you, or the other Head of Houses, bar McGonagall. She is the old man's lapdog, and would probably insist on doing things his way if he were to become… incapacitated.

"You still haven't answered my question," Severus pointed out sternly, but the look in his eyes was soft.

"That's because I haven't finished my plotting yet," Harry protested with a laugh. "I have a few pranks planned, but that was for my Monday Mayhem. I could use some input," Harry said, blinking his eyes flirtingly at Severus. "Help from a devious Potions master would be most welcome; especially from a Potions master who has tangled with a group of Marauders in the past."

"You can cut off the charm now, brat," Severus said wryly, giving the cheeky Elf an amused look.

"Mr. Potter, are you by any chance trying to entice my mate?" Lucius asked mock sternly, while Draco just grabbed hold of Harry's ears, using them as handles, and pulled Harry's face down, giving him a hard kiss to remind him of who it was he belonged too.

"Geesh!" Harry said when he could talk again. "I was just joking around, you people. You know, lightening the mood?"

"While your intent was admirable, your deployment was deplorable," Lucius drawled, moving his position so that he could wrap a possessive arm around Severus' shoulders.

Draco nodded vigorously, saying, "Yeah, I agree totally with what Dad just said."

Harry and Severus happened to share a glance, and then they howled with laughter.

HPDM

"What do you think of Harry's reasoning?" Lucius asked his mate later that evening. The boys had retired for the night, and the two of them was sitting and relaxing before a roaring fire, each holding a glass of white wine.

"I find it incredible sad that he has to even contemplate on going against three of our society's most powerful men. Fudge might be an imbecile. Unfortunately, he has the power of both the Ministry _and_ the press behind him.

"You know, I didn't want to see it before, but that boy has never been a child. From that he was a toddler, he has had impossible expectations placed on his shoulders, and even though he is no longer alone, he does not know how to relax and let go," Severus said, glaring darkly into the fire.

Lucius smiled sadly and reached out, grasping his mate's hand in an effort to show support and understanding. "At least he is no longer alone," he offered. His smile brightened when Severus squeezed his hand in acknowledgement.

"You have to admit that he is going into this battle in a most unusual, not to mention roundabout, way. He is attacking Dumbledore via pranks, proving that he is his father's son. However, unlike his father, Harry has compassion, and he will never prank anyone just to humiliate them. I find that very reassuring," Lucius said, taking a sip from his glass, remembering all too vividly the 'jokes' the Marauders had played on Severus and himself.

Severus squeezed Lucius hand again, wordlessly offering comfort. For most parts, none of them liked recalling their time at Hogwarts. Dumbledore had not been there for them, allowing the group of Gryffindors to run roughshod over the school. Both men approved wholeheartedly Harry's idea to use some of the very pranks the Marauders had played on the Slytherins on the Headmaster. Allowing Dumbledore to experience the very things he had casually waved aside as some harmless schoolboy fun. The two men shared a wicked grin. They were definitely going to enjoy that part of Harry's plans.

But Lucius soon returned to his original train of thought. "I can't believe that no one has ever thought of changing people's opinion by starting their own paper before. Everyone knows that the best way to make people believe a fact is to print it in a newspaper. As soon as it has appeared in a paper or magazine, people believe it as if it Merlin himself who reported it." Lucius shook his head, amazed that a sixteen year old boy had managed to come up with a way to educate people, hopefully bringing them out of their sheep like state.

It really was too easy for people like Albus Dumbledore and Tom Riddle to trick people into doing whatever they wanted. When _had_ the population of Britain stopped thinking for themselves? Was this another consequence of having Muggleborns entering their society?

Lucius swiftly pushed that stray thought to the back of his mind. Now was most definitely not the time to start pondering the damage done by Mudbloods.

"Yes, the boy has a most curious mind. Considering the mischief he has managed to get himself in and out of for the past five years, I'm not surprised. I'm just grateful that he has chosen to involve me, us," he amended with a swift glance towards the Veela, "in his mad schemes this time. Believe me, running after the brat in an attempt to keep him safe, not to mention alive, is not something I recommend. For too many years Albus has relied on me to keep Harry in one piece. The fact that we loathed each other did not help the matter any," Severus said, making a sour face.

"I'm glad the two of you has managed to put the past behind you," Lucius said, lifting Severus hand up and giving the palm a kiss.

Severus glanced at Lucius shyly. "How could I not? He is Draco's mate. Even if Harry had been the spoilt brat I had thought him to be, I would have made peace with him. For Draco's sake. I'm just amazed and thankful to find that the child does possess a brain, and that he has finally learned how to use it," Severus mused, turning back to gazing into the fire as he thought.

"Now, if we could only keep him safe from all the crackpots in this world, I for one would breath easier."

Lucius was startled into a laugh just as he took another sip of his wine, ending up coughing and spluttering.

"And on that note I am saying good night. Draco and I will be busy brewing potions tomorrow, and I have a feeling you will have some research to do in the library," Severus said with a smirk as he climbed to his feet, banishing his glass to the kitchen to be cleaned.

"I suppose you are right," Lucius said ruefully, climbing to his feet as well. "But as long as it is for a good cause, I shall prevail." Lucius adopted a brave face, sending his mate into a gale of laughter.

"I do believe that you will need that sleep you mentioned, Sev. You will shock your students silly if you laughed like that in front of them."

Severus gave his friend a dirty look. "As if I would laugh where anyone but family could hear or see me," he muttered sarcastically. "Besides, if they are that fainthearted, then, good riddance!"

Holding his head high, the Potions master left the room, manfully ignoring the chuckles following him into the hallway.

HPDM

"This spot is beautiful," Draco said in awe, taking in the breathtaking view. "Where are we? I know for a fact that I have never been here before."

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not sure this place exists in reality. I haven't exactly travelled the world," he added bitterly.

"Harry?" Draco asked with concern.

"No, I'm sorry. I promised myself I would stop whimpering and start being strong. I guess old habits die hard. Everyone thinks I'm some kind of hero. But you know what?" Harry turned slightly and looked at the boy standing next to him. "I'm no hero. I am only a survivor. For as long as I can remember, I have merely survived. I haven't lived. It tends to sour your disposition somewhat."

Harry sighed and looked back out over the view. It truly was breath taking. "I used to steal my aunt's magazines when she threw them away. I would hid them in my cupboard and I'd read them when I was locked away. For a while I even cut out and saved the pictures I thought pretties. Just so I could have a visible reminder that not everything in this world is ugly."

"What happened to them?" Draco asked, sensing that something had.

Harry snorted a laugh. "Dudley decided one day that he was bored, so he entered my cupboard to see if he could get the freak into trouble. He found the pictures and he amused himself with tearing them up. My aunt was not amused at the mess he created and she forced me to clean it up. I still red the magazines but I never again bothered to save anything. It wasn't worth the hassle," Harry said matter-of-factly.

"I'm going to find that cousin of yours, and then I'm going to teach him a lesson," Draco promised, already starting to plot how to make sure that this Dudley knew just what he had put his cousin through because of his selfishness and greed.

"Don't bother, Draco. We have enough enemies, don't you think? We don't need to go looking for more," Harry said with a tired sigh, leaning his head on Draco's shoulder.

"Speak for yourself, love. I have broad shoulders; I can take on one enemy more. Besides, this Dudley sounds like he is more of a nuisance than an enemy," Draco stated arrogantly, secretly pleased when his words tricked Harry to chuckle. It wasn't as if he had said anything but the truth anyway.

"Oh, Draco, never change," Harry said, a loving smile on his face and a besotted look in his green eyes.

"I hadn't planed to, beautiful. Why mess with perfection?"

Harry laughed again, and this time it was a happy, carefree sound.

Draco smiled smugly and pulled his Elf to stand before him, Harry's back to Draco's chest. Silently the two looked out over the water that flowed towards them, only to drop for several hundred feet down into a large lake, creating a magnificent waterfall. Above them, the sun was setting, colouring the sky in the most amazing shades of red, pink, and blue. Brightly coloured birds flew over their heads, calling to each other as they made their way back to their nests.

Suddenly, Harry turned around in Draco's arms, and looked searchingly into his silvery eyes. Smiling slightly at the love he was seeing so clearly in them, Harry reached up and wrapped his arms around a slender neck. "Make love to me?" he asked, tilting his head to the side, giving Draco a look that was half flirting and half pleading.

"Are you sure?" Draco asked, feeling slightly startled at the request. The previous evening Harry had been too distraught for them to do much more than kiss and cuddle. The dream that had started so promising soon turned to something that did not promote lovemaking, but did promote intimate talks. The poolroom had morphed into Draco's sitting room, and the blond had blushed hotly as he realised that the room was still filled with all his toys from when he was little. Harry had been fascinated, however, and they had ended up talking about Draco's childhood while sitting in front of the fireplace, sipping hot cocoa. The dream had been kind enough to provide the boys with dry robes, and they had gotten a good laugh when one of them was green and the other silver. Even in his dreams, Draco was Slytherin to the core, and Harry had teased him about it until Draco had tackled him to the ground and tickled him.

Coming back from the memory, Draco refocused on his mate. Realising that Harry had never answered him, Draco asked him again, "Are you sure, love? You don't have to do anything just out of a sense of duty to please me or something."

"I know that, Draco. I just… I just want to forget for a moment. I want to just feel. Can you do that for me?"

"Harry?" Draco asked, taken aback. "Has this to do with what has happened at Hogwarts? Talk to me, love. Don't keep it all inside that way you normally do."

Harry huffed a sigh. This was exactly what he had wanted to avoid. Couldn't Draco see that he didn't want to remember? That he didn't want to think at all, period?

"Harry, they are my friends too. Don't I deserve to know what's happened to them? Don't think I didn't notice that none of you told me what has happened apart from Blaise." Draco leaned forward and placed his forehead against his mate's, waiting.

"I know that they are your friends, Draco. And that is exactly why I don't want to tell you," Harry said solemnly.

"Don't I have a right to know?" Draco asked, a challenging note creeping into his voice.

"In a way, I suppose you do. But ask yourself this, Draco, do you really _want_ to know, or do you just feel that you aught to know?"

Draco blinked. "Could you be a bit more vague, love?" he asked, finding a dredge of humour from somewhere.

Harry smiled ruefully. Then he sighed and snuggled into the Veela's embrace, turning slightly so that he could look out over the water once more. "I know Lucius and Severus wanted to spare us the knowledge of what has happened at Hogwarts while we were away. And you know what? For once I wish I hadn't given in to my curiosity." Harry fell silent for a moment, and Draco allowed him the time to gather his thoughts.

"Can you tell me that you won't look at Blaise and not cringe, knowing that he is supposed to be blind? Can you tell me that you won't feel pity for Theodore, knowing that he should be paralysed? He broke his back, Draco, in three places, after he was pushed from the top of a moving staircase. Can you look at those who were injured and not remember that their wounds couldn't have been worse if they had participated in battle with the Dark Lord himself? Do you _really_ want to know of the hell they have lived through? I sure as hell don't. Unfortunately, it is too late for me. I made the decision to talk to Dobby, not realising just how bad things had turned. I want to spare you from that knowledge, Draco. I want to spare you the knowledge what unchecked hatred can do," Harry whispered, unaware that tears was spilling down his cheeks.

Draco saw them and he gently turned the Elf around and kissed him. Pulling back slightly, the Veela reached up to wipe the wetness away. A part of him wanted to find out who had caused his mate to hurt like this and hunt them down. The more rational part of him was finally catching on what the others wished to save him from.

Yes, he had been furious to find out that Blaise had been blinded. And he couldn't really picture the fun loving Theo stuck in a bed, unable to move. It must have been a fate worse than death for the active boy. Yes, his fellow Slytherin could be a pain in the ass at times. However, Theo's tendencies to play clown had helped alleviate the stress and the anger that belonging to the House the school considered being pure evil had brought forth among its members more times than Draco cared to admit. And at the back of his mind, the blond teen began to plot revenge against the guilty party. Pushing someone off the stairs, what self-respecting wizard did that!

When he realised where his thoughts were taking him, Draco pulled himself up short. If by going back in time they prevented Theo from being pushed down the stairs, could Draco still extract his revenge? Would he be able to control himself not to hex the life out of whoever had done such a callous act? Furthermore, did he truly wish to know what calamity his friends had fallen victim to? Did he truly wish to know which students had joined the mob mentality that the school obviously had fallen victim to? Could he afford not to know where the dangers lay?

Draco knew himself well enough to know that he would see red every time he set eyes on the guilty culprits. And did he really want to know who had helped defend the Slytherins, and who had just stood back and allowed it to happen? Moreover, did he wish to know which ones in his House had sided with Pansy Parkinson? After all the things Draco had done to help his fellow snakes?

Starting to understand why Harry wished for a distraction, Draco put a finger under the Elf's chin and gently tilted his head up. "It would be my pleasure and my privilege to make love to you, my sweet," he whispered, before fusing their lips together. He was going to have a long talk with his father about his thoughts and feelings. Later. Much, much later.

This dreamtime was supposed to be devoted to his mate. Especially when he somehow had been granted the opportunity to spend time with his Elf, and not just some figment of his imagination. As hot as those original dreams had been, this was ten times better. No, a hundred time better. Because this was real. And it was definitely time for his brain to shut up and go with the flow!

Nibbling gently at his mate's lover lip, Draco moaned as the sweet mouth shyly opened up for him, and the Veela dived in, moaning once again as the taste that was so uniquely Harry filled his senses.

A tongue came out to greet his own, and Draco allowed the sensations that tongue created to drown out everything else. Unfortunately, breathing all too soon became an issue, and Draco was forced to leave the heavenly cavern. However, that only gave him the opportunity to nibble on his mate's neck, and he eagerly utilised that opportunity to give Harry a new, prominent love bit.

The Elf, moaned and his breath hitched as Draco's teeth sank into his flesh deep enough to mark, but not hard enough to break the delicate skin. Sucking his mouthful into his mouth, the blond moaned as his actions caused his mate to arch closer, wordlessly telling him he most assuredly approved.

Consumed with a need to feel bare skin, Draco tore his mouth away, taking a moment to gloat at the vivid red mark. Shaking his head slightly to clear it, he cast a cushion charm on the ground and gently urged Harry to lie down. Another spell divested them of their clothes, and this time it was Draco's breath that hitched as he took in the beautiful figure that was his mate.

Harry's skin was being bathed by the setting sun, causing it to glow in the golden light. Sinking down on his knees, the Veela reached out with a trembling hand to stroke the features of the face he had come to love so much. Using the gentlest of touches, Draco run his fingertips over Harry's forehead, moving down and then up a delicate ear, taking note of how the Elf shivered when he caressed that beautifully pointed tip. Moving downward, Draco caressed the high cheekbones, moving further down to the stubborn chin, and down that lovely throat.

Using only his fingers and his eyes, Draco focused his entire being onto those two senses. Applying slightly more pressure, he took his time to experience and learn the feel of his mate's body, feeling grateful that Harry was allowing him to do this. Carefully, he took note of which places caused Harry to sigh in pleasure, and which spots elicited the most delightful giggles.

Harry for his part felt as if he was being worshipped. The look in Draco's eyes was nothing like he had ever experienced before. The look was a mix of awe, wonder, and tender love. However, even if it did his ego a world of good knowing that he could produce those feelings in the Prince of Slytherin -- and even if he truly appreciated the gentleness Draco was displaying -- it wasn't what he needed. He needed passion, fire. And he most definitely wanted his brain to just shut up and go with the flow for a while. Giving his mate a wicked smile, Harry reached up, grabbed hold of his mate's shoulders and yanked.

Draco emitted a soft 'omph' as he found himself flat against his Elf. He didn't have long to regain his senses, because Harry tightened his grip and flipped them over, leaving the brunet on top. "My turn," Harry whispered, and then he swooped down.

But not for a kiss, which was what Draco had expected. In stead, the Elf aimed for the juncture where throat and shoulder meet, and he bit down, making good on his promise to mark the Veela.

The wizard in Draco was delighted to find that his partner wasn't a meek submissive, but could give him a run for his money if he felt like it, and the blond found himself laughing happily. What fun was bedroom games if only one of them played? The Veela in him wasn't as sure that it approved of its mate taking charge, however. Draco just shrugged the uneasy feeling off for now and returned the favour the moment Harry's teeth left his flesh.

Harry pulled back and looked down with satisfaction at the prominent love bite adorning Draco's flesh. Then he cried out in surprise, as Draco flipped them once more, putting the blond back on top.

"No, it's not," Draco murmured, swooping down for that kiss he was craving.

Harry was about to reply, but found his mouth full with a strange tongue, so he sucked on it instead. He was finally getting what he needed, and he gave himself over to the kiss with abandon.

Both boys hummed in pleasure, and Draco stretched out over his mate, doing his best to cover every part of his body, loving the sensations coming from rubbing his skin against his lovers. Then their erections rubbed against each other, and Draco just had to look down at his Elf who was clutching him tight, moaning in pleasure.

Draco found the sound to be the most erotic one he had ever heard, and he set about to wring as many moans from his mate as he could, adding to the song with his own moans as the pleasure drove them higher and higher, and the Veela wished he could do this for an eternity.

Unfortunately, their bodies demanded release, and Harry arched against him with a cry, spilling his seed between their bodies. The sound, smell, and the sudden added warmth all helped to pull Draco over the edge as well, and the blond climaxed with a triumphant cry, secretly wishing he was inside his mate as he came.

Collapsing on top of his Elf, Draco gasped for breath, shuddering slightly from the intensity of his feelings. Beneath him Harry was doing the same, and the blond belatedly rolled to the side to make sure he wasn't squishing the other boy.

"Thank you, Draco, that was… wonderful," Harry whispered, sighing deeply with contentment.

"You are welcome, love," Draco replied, reaching up to push a lock of hair away from Harry's forehead. "And yes, it was. By the Founders, Harry, I can't wait for us to bond. I'm betting the entire Malfoy fortune that it will be spectacular."

"I'm gonna tell Luce that you are gambling his fortune away," Harry said drowsily, curling his body against Draco's and promptly fell asleep. Never hearing the laughter of true amusement coming from the Veela, or the whispered, "You would too, wouldn't you, my little minx?"

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**A/N:** I know that I have confused several of you with my references to the Time-Turner. To tell the truth, I have confused myself plenty as I vacillated back and forth. (I got it into my head all of a sudden that if they returned to Sep. 1, then Draco and Harry had to do the 'find the mate' thing all over again. Yeah, I know, talk about faulty reasoning!) I promise that the next chapter will finally clear up the air as to which spot in time they jump back to.

**Next Time:  
**Our four favourite Slytherins start operation, Down With Dumbles.  
Until Then…


	58. Back To Hogwarts

**Disclaimer:** I do not own them, which is a sad, sad truth.

**A/N:** I wish to thank everyone who has read my story. And a bigger thank you to all of you wonderful people who has sent me a review. Thank you so much!

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**_Back To Hogwarts._**

**_Monday, Nov. 4_**

Harry woke early the next morning feeling happy and content. He found himself curled up against Draco with his head resting above the Veela's heart. For several long moments, Harry just lay there, listening to the other's steady heartbeat, revelling in the feelings that Draco elicited.

Unfortunately, he was too wide awake to be able to go back asleep. And no matter how cosy and comfortable he was, Harry was too restless to lie around in bed any longer. A quick Tempus informed him that it was only a quarter to six, but after a brief pondering he got out of bed nevertheless.

Draco made a small sound of distress as Harry left him, but soon he settled back down and continued to sleep. Harry smiled gently and reached out to softly caress the fine blond hair. If Draco hadn't woken up, then he probably needed the sleep. The Elf had a feeling that his mate hadn't had much of true rest since Harry had fallen victim to that Cruciatus.

And that thought return full force the niggling sensation that he had forgotten to ask the adults something. Not bothering to take the time to shower, Harry cast a strong cleaning charm on himself, before getting dressing in a pair of black trousers and a navy-blue t-shirt that he found hanging in the wardrobe

Stopping only long enough to conjure a yellow rose and a note, leaving both on the nightstand next to the bed, Harry slipped out of the bedroom on silent feet, intent on finding Severus. The Elf had a feeling that the Potions master would be up, despite the early hour. There were quite a few potions they needed to be brewed if they were going to go ahead with their revenge, and Harry knew that Snape was itching to get started. Unfortunately, they would need to buy quite a few ingredients, and Severus had mentioned that he would start with the inventory first thing in the morning.

HPDM

Walking into the breakfast parlour Harry felt his eyebrows rise at the unexpected sight. Both Severus and Lucius were awake, and they were sitting close together, sharing what looked to be an intimate moment.

Feeling like he was intruding Harry began to back out again, hoping to avoid being detected. However, both men were used to keeping close tabs on their environment, and as one the two of them turned to pin Harry with a look.

"Good morning. I apologise for interrupting you, I shall just go now, okay?" Harry babbled, still backing out of the parlour. Just a few more steps and he would be home free.

"Good morning to you too, young man. Might one ask where my son is?" Lucius asked, his voice filled with good humour.

Harry grinned. "He is still asleep. He looked so cute I didn't have the heart to wake him up."

"Come in and eat something. Merlin knows that you are far too skinny as it is," Severus said, making an impatient gesture for Harry to approach the table.

"I really don't want to interrupt you," Harry hedged, still hesitating to come closer.

"You are not intruding, Harry. Severus and I were merely…"

"Talking. I am sure you have done the same with your friends many times?" Severus cut in, giving Harry a sardonic look.

Harry laughed and finally moved to take a seat opposite to his once feared Potions master. "Sure, I have talked with my friends many times," he said easily. "However, the kind of 'talking' the two of you looked to be doing I've only done with Draco; which was the reason to why I didn't want to intrude. Unfortunately, some don't seem to be able to take a hint," Harry said, sounding exasperated, giving Lucius a saucy wink.

"Impertinent brat!" Severus muttered, demonstratively drinking some of his tea.

Lucius laughed. "We thank you for your discretion, Harry, but the mood has been broken, wouldn't you say so, Dearheart?" Lucius asked, giving Severus a teasing look. Severus did not bother to reply.

"Seriously, what are you doing up so early? You might have been in a Healing coma for the past six weeks, but you still need your rest, Harry. Did you have a nightmare?" Lucius asked, turning serious as he gave the brunet a discreet once over.

"I'm fine. There is no need to worry," Harry said with a smile, secretly touched that the older men were willing to break off their private moment to fuss over him. He had never taken it well when his friends constantly bugged him to tell them how he was feeling. But somehow it was different when Lucius and Severus were doing it.

_I guess the difference is that those two really do care. Oh, I'm sure that Ron and Hermione cared at one point. But the few times I actually confided in them, they didn't want to hear it. When Lucius asks, he expects an honest answer, and if I tell him that something is bothering me, he listens. And then he goes about trying to fix whatever is wrong. _That_ is something no one has _ever_ done for me before,_ Harry realised with a start.

Not stopping to think, Harry acted on an impulse. Climbing to his feet he walked down to where the older Veela was sitting and enveloped him in a fierce hug. "Thank you," he whispered, before pulling back, his face burning up with embarrassment.

"What was that about?" Lucius asked, stopping Harry from leaving by gently grasping the nearest wrist. Standing up, the blond enfolded Harry in a hug, not letting go until the teen had relaxed and accepted the comfort.

"I just realised that you genuinely care about me. I guess… I'm not used to that," Harry admitted, looking down at his boots.

Lucius placed his hands on Harry's shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze. "Yes, you have been most unfortunate in that department, Loveling, haven't you?" Lucius mused out aloud. "However, know this, Harry. The three of us care deeply about you, and we don't care about your destiny. We care about _you_."

"That we do." Severus nodded and put down his teacup. "At first, I was prepared to tolerate you because of Draco. But." He held up his hand to stop the comments waiting to spill forth on the others' lips. "When I started to get to know you, I realised what Albus has been trying to tell me since your first year. You are not James Potter. In fact, the more I have gotten to know you, the more I have come to realise that you are ten times the man your father was. James would have turned his back on Draco, just because he was a Malfoy. You, however, have taken the time to get to know the true person behind the mask, and for that I will always feel gratitude."

"I don't want your gratitude," Harry stated hotly, giving the Potions master a dark look.

"I know. A poor choice of word perhaps. The point I am trying to make is that I have gotten to know you, and I… like the person I have found behind the mask of the Golden Boy of Gryffindor," Severus said stiffly, not used to voicing his emotions like this.

"You had to use that name, didn't you, sir?" Harry asked with a theatrical groan.

"Of course, I cannot allow you to get a swelled head, now, can I?" Severus said with a smirk, refilling his teacup.

Harry groaned, resting his forehead against Lucius' chest for a moment. "You, Sev, are a cruel man."

"Thank you, I do try," Severus replied with aplomb, causing his companions to laugh.

HPDM

"There is something I've been meaning to ask you," Harry said sometime later when the three of them were finishing up their breakfast. "How could Dumbledore get away with his actions? I mean, you said it yourself, a lot of students ended up at St. Mungo's. How come no one began to investigate before things got so out of hand? Why didn't anyone do anything to make the madness stop? I… I guess I just don't understand how it could have gone so far," Harry added sadly.

Lucius and Severus shared a look. A silent communication took place, and then Lucius began to formulate a reply.

"I believe we have been given a splendid example of the drawbacks of our world being so… compartmentalised. Also, you have to remember that things were not so bad at the beginning," Lucius reminded the Elf.

"Our world is compartmentalised?" Harry asked, frowning as he tried to understand what the blond was talking about.

"Yes, it is. One or two of the students felt alarmed at what was going on at Hogwarts, so they wrote home to their parents. What other option did they have? Turn to their Head of House? They had already shown that they were not about to take any actions.

"I don't know for sure, but I surmise that most of the parents discarded the things their children told them, choosing to believe in Albus Dumbledore. As for those who saw the early warning signs, what were they to do? Write to the Headmaster? I'm sure some of them did. But knowing Dumbledore, he just disregarded the letters, or sent a reassuring letter back, telling the parents that everything was fine.

"Others turned to the School Governors, but that lot is not about to take action unless they absolutely have to. Just look at your second year. The children were threatened by an unknown danger, several were even petrified by that unknown foe, and yet, it wasn't until Ginerva Weasley was taken to the Secret Chamber that the decision came to close the school."

Harry blinked, he hadn't realised that, but what Lucius was saying was true. Something should have been done much, much sooner. After all, it was pure, dumb luck that no one had been killed that year.

"I am positive that some parents wrote to the Minister of Magic," Severus said, taking over the conversation. "However, he is such a coward that he was not about to go up against Albus Dumbledore until he had unmistakable proof that something was wrong. He got that proof in the end, but by then it was far too late. Too many students had been hurt; and most of those had suffered injuries that would mark them for life. We can do a lot with magic. However, not even with magic to aid us can we fix everything. Just look at Mad-Eye Moody."

Harry nodded slowly, remembering the damage done to the ex-Auror. Then he thought of something. "But I though that only wounds from Dark magic scarred like that."

"Harry, if a limb is lost, no matter how it happened, a new one can not be regenerated. If you damage the nerves to an eye too badly, then sight can not be restored. Yes, most wounds caused by Light magic can be healed without scars, but as I just said, not all wounds can be healed. Sometimes the damage is just too severe," Severus said gently, hating that he had to shatter the youth's trust in magic.

Harry thought about that for a moment, but then he pushed it to a far corner at the back of his mind. He would ponder that revelation at a later date, when he had more time to truly consider all angles. Moving back to the original subject, Harry slowly asked, "So, what you are saying is that the reason the madness at Hogwarts' wasn't stopped earlier, is because parents and pupils haven't got anyone they can turn to when they feel there is a problem?" Just wanting to make sure he had understood them correctly.

Lucius and Severus shared another silent discussion.

"Essentially, yes. Normally, the Heads of Houses are the ones who bring a matter of discontent to the Headmaster. But when neither will listen, then there isn't much the pupils can do. Unless they manage to unite a large group of students who all demand that actions be made. However, that has only happened twice in Hogwarts' long history," Severus said calmly.

"Huh. I guess that is something else we need to change. I wonder… The Muggles have some sort of… society I guess you could call it that involves the parents with the running of the school. I think I need to look into what exactly they do. Maybe it could be adopted to work in the magical world as well?" Harry mused, leaning back in his chair, toying with a spoon.

"There you all are! I was beginning to think that you had all disappeared on me," Draco said with a pout as he entered the parlour.

"Good morning, love, slept well?" Harry asked, getting up from his chair to greet his boyfriend with a kiss.

"Very. Thank you for asking. The dreaming was better though," Draco said with a leer, causing the Elf to laugh and blush at the same time.

"Do we want to know?" Lucius asked, amused.

"No, you do not!" Harry said forcibly before Draco could reply. Dragging the blond teen towards the table, Harry retook his seat, startling Draco by pulling the Veela down to sit on his lap.

"Harry!" Draco laughed. "Not at the breakfast table, you prat!"

"I believe that is my cue to retire to the potions lab," Severus said dryly, putting his napkin on the table and climbing to his feet. "Good morning, Dragon, it is good to see you so chipper this morning. I would appreciate it if you did not dawdle."

"Hey, it isn't my fault that no one woke me up," Draco mock complaint. "Then again, if you hadn't gotten up at the crack of dawn, then I wouldn't be late, now would I?"

"Spoken like a true Malfoy," Lucius said with a teasing grin. "Always find a way to put the blame on others. Good morning, son. If you need me I will be in the library." Mirroring Severus' movements, Lucius too got to his feet, dropping a kiss on top of his son's head before heading out to start the day's chores as well.

"Finally alone, love. What ever should I do with you?" Harry asked, doing his best leer.

"You could feed me," Draco said imperiously, sticking his nose into the air.

HPDM

Draco woke slowly, feeling happy and content. For long moments he dwelled in that world between sleeping and awake, and he revelled in just being satisfied. Harry was awake again, and there seemed to be no lasting problems from his latest brush with danger. And considering the dream they had just shared… Draco broke into a smile as he remembered. He truly needed to get Harry alone soon. He couldn't wait to see how much reality differed from the Veela dreams.

Stretching, Draco reached out for his mate, only to find empty space and cold sheets. Blinking his eyes open, the blond slowly sat up and looked around. Spotting the rose, Draco picked it up gently, held it to his nose and took in the sweet perfume. Twirling the flower between his fingers, Draco was unable to hold back a besotted smile. Harry could be so sweet, and Draco felt his heart swell as he realised once more that this amazing creature was his and his alone.

Sighing happily, the Veela then turned his attention to the note the rose had been resting on.

_My dearest love,_

_You looked so cute that I didn't have the heart to wake you up. _

_I have gone to get some breakfast, and then I will be working in one of the gardens. _

_Love,_

_Harry_

Draco's smile grew impossibly bigger. Throwing the covers aside, he jumped to his feet. Wanting to preserve the rose, he placed an everlasting charm on it, and gently put it in a hastily transfigured vase, making sure it was given a prominent spot on the nightstand.

Skipping into the bathroom, Draco showered swiftly before dressing for the day, keeping in mind that he would spend most of it in the Potions lab. Looking himself over in the mirror Draco felt satisfied with his appearance, and he snapped his fingers to summon a house-elf.

"Young Master called?" the elf asked, bowing deeply.

"Yes, where are the others?" Draco asked, wondering if either of the adults was awake yet.

"Master Harry is eating breakfast with Masters, young Master," the elf replied with another deep bow.

Draco blinked as he deciphered the reply. "Thank you, you may go," he said imperiously, heading out for the breakfast parlour. It seemed like he was the only one who had indulged in a lay in that morning. "Why was I cursed with a morning person for a mate?" he asked the air, shaking his head in exasperation.

HPDM

"There you all are! I was beginning to think that you had all disappeared on me," Draco said, making sure to wear a pout as he made his presence known. The atmosphere in the parlour was relaxed, and neither of the three seemed overly tense, causing Draco to relax as well.

"Good morning, love, slept well?" Harry asked, getting up from his chair to greet his boyfriend with a kiss.

Draco was more than happy to accept the kiss, secretly thrilled at the easy way Harry was calling him love these days. The closeness the Veela was craving was growing steadily between them. Not satisfied with the quick peck that Harry gave him, Draco wrapped his arms around a trim waist, holding the Elf in place as he gave his mate his own morning kiss in greeting.

Satisfied that Harry knew how much he was loved, Draco finally let the other boy go with an easy, 'Very. Thank you for asking. The dreaming was better though," Draco said, unable to stop himself from teasing his mate, putting on his best leer for maximum effect. He got his reward as Harry laughed and blushed at the same time.

"Do we want to know?" Lucius asked bemused.

Draco opened his mouth to make a witty response. However, before he could get a word out, Harry was already speaking. _Damn, _Draco thought. He wasn't truly annoyed, but the perfect reply had just sprung into his mind, only Harry had ruined the moment. _Note to self, be swifter in your replies from now on._

He was effectively brought out of his thoughts by Harry pulling him down to sit on his lap. Laughing, Draco did his best to admonish his mate. "Harry! Not at the breakfast table, you prat!"

"I believe that is my cue to retire to the Potions lab," Severus said dryly, putting his napkin on the table and climbing to his feet. "Good morning, Dragon, it is good to see you so chipper this morning. I would appreciate it if you did not dawdle."

"Hey, it isn't my fault that no one woke me up," Draco mock complaint. "Then again, if you hadn't gotten up at the crack of dawn, then I wouldn't be late, now would I?" he added, giving his godfather a pointed look

"Spoken like a true Malfoy," Lucius said with a teasing grin. "Always find a way to put the blame on others. Good morning, son. If you need me I will be in the library." Mirroring Severus' movements, Lucius too got to his feet, dropping a kiss on top of his son's head before heading out to start the day's chores as well.

"Finally alone, love. What ever should I do with you?" Harry asked, doing his best leer. It was a decent attempt. However, it was ruined by his effort to keep his amusement in check.

"You could feed me," Draco said imperiously, sticking his nose into the air.

Harry burst out laughing, giving the Veela a gentle shove. "It is fortunate for you that I love you so much," Harry grumbled, but he was smiling as he said it.

"Yes it is. And it is fortunate for you that I love you just as much if not more," Draco replied cheerfully, giving the brunet a kiss. "Oh, yeah, thank you so much for the rose, love. It was beautiful, almost as beautiful as you," he added in a husky whisper before claiming those tempting lips in a second, deeper kiss.

"You are most welcome, my sweet," Harry murmured, his face red from his blush. Hiding his face in Draco's shoulder he added, "I didn't want you to wake up and think I had just left you. But I was too wide awake to go back to sleep, and I was worried I'd wake you since I felt too restless to stay in bed and…"

"Harry, I'm not upset," Draco said softly, carding his fingers through the mass of dark hair.

Harry just hugged him tight for a moment, and then he reluctantly pulled back. "You need to eat. We have a lot of work to do today, and you are far too skinny. Didn't you take proper care of yourself while I was in the coma?"

Draco snorted. "Look who's talking! If anyone is skinny, it is you, love."

"Funny, Severus said the same thing," Harry said with a pout. "I'm not that skinny. I'm--"

"If Severus says you are skinny, then you can bet your last Galleon that you are skinny. Don't be surprised if he and Father start pouring nutrition potions down your throat. They did that to me when I was five, after I had been sick with Dragon Pox. I thought I was going to start floating from all the potions they poured into me," Draco said, shuddering at the memory.

"Then it is fortunate I'm an Elf," Harry said, a smug smile on his face.

"You wish! Trust me; it won't be long before Severus has managed to work around that little problem. I have never seen anyone as focused as Severus when he is experimenting with new potions. Present him with a problem, and he will give his all until it is solved. Just look at the Wolfbane Potion. They all said it was impossible to do anything about the werewolf problem, but Severus proved them wrong."

Harry gave Draco a thoughtful look. "I'm starting to think that I don't want Severus anywhere near that Elven King, do I? He is going to find out everything there is to know about Elf anatomy, isn't he? And then he will take far too much pleasure in dosing me with foul tasting potions again, isn't he?" Harry asked, looking quite forlorn at that prospect.

Draco took one look at his mate's disgruntled face, and then he was hooting with laughter.

HPDM

**_Monday, Nov. 18_**

Harry looked around the room, making sure he hadn't forgotten anything. The past two weeks had seemed to fly by. Then again, they hadn't exactly been idle. Severus and Draco had spent most of their time in the Potions lab, brewing up a storm.

Harry had helped them from time to time, as had Lucius. But even though they both knew their way around a cauldron, Potions were not their first love. Lucius had spent most of his time in the library, doing research and Merlin knew what, while Harry had been working in the gardens. The Elf had felt the call of the earth, and he had needed the work to continue to ground himself. None of the Slytherins had begrudged him that, and Harry had made sure to repay them for their tolerance by harvesting potions ingredients from the many rare plats growing in the Manor's different gardens and greenhouses.

Fortunately, the last Black living at Black Manor had been interested in Herbology beside the Dark Arts, and he had delegated quite an army of house-elves to tend to the plant life. And because no one had been around since to counteract those orders, the Manor's gardens were in pristine orders and not overgrown and rundown at all. When Severus had realised what plants still existed on the grounds he had actually drooled, causing Harry to snicker.

But it also got him thinking. He was no expert like Neville was, and he hadn't realised that many of the plants growing in such abundance at Black Manor was considered extremely rare by the wizarding world. Some were even on the verge of being extinct. So, as he worked on the harvest with the house-elves, Harry also did a detailed inventory. A task that sent him more than once to the library to look up the different plants he'd found in an attempt to figure out what they were and what uses they had. At least he now knew what to give the Potions master at the man's upcoming birthday and for Yule.

"Are you ready to head back?" Draco asked, pushing away from the door jamb. He had been observing his mate for several minutes, growing somewhat alarmed when his mate failed to notice he was there.

Harry glanced over his shoulder, giving his Veela a smile. "Yeah, I guess," he said with a small sigh. "It's just…"

"What, love?" Draco asked, stepping forward, wrapping his arms around a trim waist. The past two weeks had done them all a world of good. The lack of stress and worries had given them all a much needed reprieve. Not to mention the restorative powers of uninterrupted sleep and good foods. These days none of them could be called skinny anymore. They hadn't acquired any love handles, far from it, but ribs were no longer as prominent as they had once been.

"It's been fun here," Harry said, searching for the words to describe what he was feeling. "I've enjoyed spending time with just the four of us. I know we haven't seen each other much during the day, but the evenings…" Harry trailed off once more, remembering the cosy gathering in the living room, sitting in front of the fire with a hot drink and a good book. Or the times the four had just been talking about their work, their dreams, or anything that took their fancy. Harry had especially enjoyed the almost fierce discussions of how they would change the wizarding world if they had unlimited powers to do as they wished.

"I guess I'm not looking forward to returning to Hogwarts, and that is just plain _weird_," Harry said, turning around in Draco's arms so that he could look his boyfriend in the eyes. "Hogwarts has always been the one place that I've been able to call home, and I guess it is… unnerving to realise that I would rather be here, with the three of you, than return back to the school," he explained, wrapping his arms around the blond's neck.

"I understand, love," Draco said softly, giving his mate a gentle smile. "I can't say that I'm that eager to return myself. If it wasn't for the bollocks that Dumbledore has made of everything, then I wouldn't mind staying here with you at all. And I can't wait to show you the Malfoy Manor, or the château in Austria. The world is a big place, Harry, and I want to show it to you so much."

Harry lost himself in glowing silvery eyes, so filled with love and devotion. "I guess it isn't so bad that I don't consider Hogwarts home anymore, is it? This way I get to keep my home after I graduate. At one time I considered staying there and becoming the next Defence teacher -- once Voldemort had been dealt with of course -- but now… Now I think I much rather want to tour the world with you, and perhaps one day we can show it to our children?" Harry asked hesitantly.

"I would love that, Harry," Draco whispered, leaning in to give the one holding his heart a kiss.

"There you are, boys. Are you ready?"

Draco groaned and banged his forehead against Harry's shoulder. "I'm all packed, Father. And I believe that Harry is too," he said in frustration. Every time Harry and he had managed to get a few minutes to themselves, one of the adults would come barging in and ruin it. Draco was this close to hexing his father's arse off. Had the man totally forgotten what it felt like to be alone with his mate!

Lucius smirked, having a good idea what was running through his son's mind. However, he was not about to risk his son's future by giving them enough privacy to risk their hormones running amok. Thanks to the Veela Dreams the two of them were getting closer, and one of these days they might forget themselves and go further than they should.

"I'm all packed too, Lucius," Harry said, glancing up at the older Malfoy. He managed to muster a small smile from somewhere to show that he wasn't upset with the man, even thought he wouldn't have minded a few more minutes alone with Draco.

"Good. Severus has just packed up the last of the potions we will need. It is time to head back." Lucius smiled at the Elf, gesturing for the teens to come along.

Harry nodded and gently detangled himself from the arms wrapped around him. Shrinking the trunks he had prepared, Harry cast one last look around the room before heading after the two Malfoys.

HPDM

"Are you all ready?" Severus asked, looking up as the three entered the parlour.

"I think so," Harry said, giving Draco a glance.

"I'm ready," Draco said with a small nod.

"As am I," Lucius said, coming to stand next to Severus.

"Good, then let us get this over and done with," Severus said, not sounding as if he was eager to return either.

Harry nodded his head, firming his resolve. Holding out his invisibility cloak, Harry watched as Severus swept it around his shoulders. Before he could lose his nerve, Harry pulled out the Time-Turner, making the chain bigger so that it would go around all four necks.

"We all agree on the date?" Harry asked, glancing around the ring one last time.

"Yes," three voices chorused.

Not finding anymore reasons to delay the inevitable; Harry began to turn the Time-Turner, going back one day for each turn.

There was that nauseating shift that he remembered so clearly from third year, and then they were standing in their living room at Hogwarts. Swiftly, the chain was unhooked from the Slytherin's necks and Severus wrapped the invisibility cloak around Harry and himself. Moving stealthily, the four made their way up to Draco's bedroom. The two Veelas were relying on their own powers of invisibility, which was a good thing since it would have been a tight squeeze getting all four of them under the cloak.

Closing the door behind them, leaving only a small crack open, the four listened with baited breath. Had they managed with their calculations?

"Come, my Dragon, let us go and see how Harry is faring," Severus' voice drifted up to the four from the living room. There was a soft scraping sound, which they interpreted as the two climbing inside the trunk, and then there was silence once more.

One minute ticked by, then another.

"Do you think we have left yet?" Harry asked quietly when he could take the silence no longer.

"I should think so," Lucius murmured, casting a quick Tempus. "We didn't stay long after Severus and Draco joined us in the trunk.

"Whew! We made it!" Draco said, fading back into sight. "Can you tell me again why we chose this exact moment?" he asked petulantly, pouting prettily.

Severus snorted but wrapped an arm around his godson's shoulders. "Because this way, we know that we won't accidentally disturb time by running into ourselves. _And_ there is the added bonus that Albus won't miss us in case he comes looking for us. Not even I know of all the benefits the castle gives him, and we deemed it too risky to wait until tomorrow to return, remember? The few moments there were eight of us instead of four shouldn't have caused any major shock waves for the castle to report. Especially since the Founders are on our side."

"Severus is correct, Son. This way it will be as if we never left, and we won't risk missing an important event due to not being here. After all, Mercury didn't know everything of what had happened, he only got the gist of it, since he wasn't here from the start either," Lucius said, coming to stand next to Harry.

"Yeah, I know, but why didn't we return to the beginning of September like we originally planned?" Draco asked, not wanting to dwell on how scared he had been that they had miscalculated the time and would ran smack into themselves as they returned. Severus seemed to know what he was thinking, because he pulled Draco into a quick hug.

"Because although in there is no limits to time travel through the use of Time-Turner in theory, studies have shown that it is best to keep it as short and simple as possible. Besides, we've already had our vacation, wouldn't you say?" Severus said, giving his godson a pointed look.

"So… Shall we get started?" Harry asked, an unholy gleam appeared in his eyes as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

A matching smirk appeared on Draco's face. "Yeah, let Operation Down With Dumbles commence!" he crowed happily, wriggling out from Severus' arm to do a victory dance around the room while singing, "Down with Dumbles, Down with Dumbles," over and over again.

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**Next Time:  
**Harry confronts Dumbledore and the other three Heads of Houses.  
(There will probably be some pranking as well, but I dare not make a promise.)  
Until then…


	59. Standing On Opposite Sides Of The Gorge

**Disclaimer: **You all know the drill. I do not own them.

**A/N: **A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed the previous chapter. I might be lousy at replying, but I cherish each and everyone one of them -- as long as they are positive that is. I hope you will enjoy this week's effort as well.

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**_Standing On Opposite Sides Of The Gorge._**

**_Wednesday, Sep. 18_**

"Ah, Harry my boy, it is good to see you up and about. How do you feel?" Albus asked, watching the brunet closely as he walked into the Headmaster's office. "I must say you had us worried there for a moment, but I take it that everything is fine?" he added, almost giddy with glee to _finally_ have Harry to himself, with no meddling Malfoys around.

Harry watched Dumbledore coolly, trying almost desperately to understand how a man who acted as if he cared about his students in reality could be so callous. "I am fine, sir. Professor Snape's potions are truly remarkable," Harry said calmly, keeping his inner turmoil well hidden.

Next to him, hidden by his Veela powers, was Draco, who had no problems allowing his growing hatred for the old man to show on his face. Harry could only hope that the Headmaster wouldn't say or do something that would set the blond off. Especially since Draco was Harry's secret weapon. He still hadn't managed to learn Occlumency -- not that he'd really had time to learn it, but he _had_ begun to meditate every night so it was a lot easier these days to clear his mind. Draco didn't know the art either; however he _did_ have the ability to shield his mate from intrusive scans. But only if he knew it was coming, and if he was able to properly focus his energies on his mate, which was why he was standing next to Harry, invisible, while his mate went toe to toe with the manipulative, old wizard.

"Yes, they are. That boy is a true genius when it comes to his beloved Potions," Albus said, a fond smile on his face. "So, what matters did you wish to discuss? I must say I find it a bit surprising that you have come here to see me, considering that you have all but avoided me the entire semester." Dumbledore gave his most troublesome student a reproachful look.

Harry managed with some difficulty not to roll his eyes. "Sir, Professor Snape told me that no actions are going to be made against Parkinson. I would like to know why not. She did, after all, cast the Cruciatus Curse on me. You witnessed it yourself. Hell, the _entire_ school witnessed it!" Harry snapped, giving the Headmaster a hard look, challenging him to try and weasel out of that statement.

"Harry..." Albus sighed and removed his glasses. Conjuring a rag he began to studiously polish the glasses, giving the youth what looked like a brief glance. In reality he was trying to see the boy's memories in an attempt to discern where Harry was standing theses days, and how much he had been swayed by the Malfoys.

To his utter shock he couldn't get in. Considering how many times he had used Legilimens on the boy in the past, he had practically created his own link into Potter's mind. Today, however, his brief probe was met by a slippery wall that did not let him inside.

Harry had no idea what was going on until Draco pinched him in the arm. Harry stifled the automatic jerk with some difficulty, but he wasn't entirely successful in covering up the grimace of pain, and Dumbledore thought it was as a result of his actions.

"Harry? Are you feeling alright, child?" Albus asked, acting solicitously and caring, pulling out one of his many boxes of sweets. "Would you like a lemon drop?

Harry made a face, but he did step forward and accept one of the hard, round sweets, pretending to plop it into his mouth. What he really did was pop a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean into his mouth, while allowing the lemon drop to slid into a pocket. He was going to have Severus to examine it later, hopefully ending for once and for all the debate whether the Headmaster laced those things or not.

"Headmaster, what are you going to do about Pansy Parkinson?" Harry insisted, speaking with some difficulty. "This isn't the first time she has attacked me, as you are well aware. Why in blazes are you so set on protecting her! It doesn't make sense!" Harry exploded, waving his arms about.

"Now, Harry, that isn't exactly true," Albus said, admonishing the youth lightly, causing both Harry's and Draco's hackles to rise.

"Not exactly true? Excuse me, sir, but in what world are you living!" Harry demanded, wondering if the Headmaster truly _had_ gone dotty with old age.

"I take it that you are referring to the 'pink teddy bear' incident, Harry. You have to understand, Pansy has been under the misconception that she was going to marry Draco once they have graduated. You have to give her time to come to term that her dream is forever shattered," Albus said, putting his glasses back on, unaware of the way Draco was bristling at his words.

_The only one who has been encouraging that girl was Narcissa, the one person with the _least_ understanding of the Veela mindset, in spite of being married to one for sixteen years_, Draco thought darkly. _I sure as hell never agreed to those plans!_ _Not to mention that I have done my level best to keep Pansy at arm's length. Unfortunately, the girl's half leech or something, considering the way she always managed to cling to me in one way or the other._

Draco frowned, thinking back on his interactions with Pansy. It was true that he had done nothing to encourage the chit. Then again, he didn't have to; his mother had done it for him.

Narcissa had sent at least one care package each month addressed directly to Pansy, and the Founders alone knew what encouragement that woman had given the girl in her letters. Pansy had never offered to share them with Draco, not even when the blond had outright asked her about the content of the letters.

It was true that Draco had never truly pushed her away, knowing instinctly that the one paying for such actions would be his father. So, while he had not put his foot down and completely cut ties with Pansy, she had clearly taken his disinterest as encouragement for the future she wanted. Not caring for his feelings at all. Then again, Narcissa's protégé would not be a warm-hearted person, now would she?

Added to that was the standing Pansy had managed to acquire in Slytherin just by always being seen by his side. Many, like Blaise, had just been waiting for her to fall from disgrace the moment Draco turned sixteen and found who his true mate was, but until that day arrived, most had just gritted their teeth and endured.

However, by the time Draco did turn sixteen, it was so firmly rooted in Pansy's mind that she was the one to be the next Mrs. Malfoy that any other outcome was unthinkable. No wonder she was flipping out so completely, unable to handle the truth. By her own wilful blindness she was woefully unprepared for the drastic change of plans she was now facing.

Draco's face scrunched up in a scowl. He would need to keep a closer eye on the girl; she would do everything within her powers to find a way to get rid of Harry. And considering that she would have the ear of those loyal to the Dark Lord...

_Thank Merlin Father and I spent the summer touring the world!_ Draco thought in sudden chock. _If we hadn't, would I have found myself trapped with Pansy the way Father was trapped with Narcissa? Mother should know what potions were used to get the desired result. Damn Abraxas to the deepest pit in hell for the misery he has caused us all!_

An elbow in his side returned Draco from his dark thoughts, and he gave Harry a sheepish smile as he realised that his wings had appeared. Apparently, he'd been more upset than he'd realised.

"Furthermore, young Miss Parkinson was pranked earlier today, as I am sure you recall." Albus calmly continued to speak, unaware of the drama unfolding in his own office. "While the prank is harmless, it does play havoc with one's senses. It might not have been so bad if the one sharing the prank hadn't been Ronald Weasley. Young Mr. Weasley, however, is renowned for his hot temper, and I am certain that the added strain to hold on to his temper as well as her own is what caused Miss Parkinson to lose her composure.

"It _is_ most unfortunate that she chose that curse to subject you to, but in all fairness, you cannot truly blame her, can you, Harry?" Dumbledore asked, looking at Harry over his glasses, searching for any signs of guilt. Albus was positive that Harry was the one who had pranked the two. Who else would pick that particular pair of students?

Harry bristled, feeling his temper starting to boil. "Are you implying that it is my fault that Pansy subjected me to Crucio?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Are you saying that you are not the one who pranked them?" Albus countered mildly.

Harry shook his head, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose, suddenly understanding better why Severus used that gesture all the time. "I can't believe you, sir," Harry said once he was sure he had his temper somewhat back under control. The circles Draco were rubbing on his back was a great help to him, and Harry wished he could thank the Veela somehow. Unfortunately, he didn't dare to. It was a miracle the Headmaster hadn't sensed anything yet, and Harry was not about to draw attention to the fact that he was not alone.

"Next you will be saying that it is okay for Ron to cast Crucio on me. Or Sleep of the Dead? If you know that much about the potion used, then you know that it truly does not affect a person the way you are hinting. Pansy did not gain any of Ron's temper, and even if she did, casting Cruciatus is still a serious offence and you cannot allow her to just get away with it like this! What type of example would that set for the school?" Harry asked, planting his fists on his hips, silently demanding an answer.

"So it _was_ you who pranked the children?" Albus asked, almost crowing in delight at being proven right.

Harry made an impatient sound at the back of his throat, and then he threw his hands up in the air. "Fine! I admit it! Yes, it was I who pranked Ron and Pansy. There! Happy now? Can we get off that issue and start talking punishment for Parkinson?" Harry asked with exasperation.

Sensing that his mate was about to blow his top, Draco swiftly stepped around Harry until he was pressed against the Elf's back. Not daring to give his love a hug, he settled for putting his hand's on Harry's shoulders and squeeze, digging his thumbs into the brunet's back.

Harry hung his head and breathed deeply, lending strength from the invisible Veela.

"Harry, you really need to do something about that temper of yours," Albus scolded, taking delight in using this opportunity to get a few things off his chest.

"If you bothered to get your head out of your arse and did what was right then I wouldn't have to lose my temper, now would I? Harry asked, keeping his eyes closed and focusing on his breathing.

"Mr. Potter! I have allowed you quite a bit of leeway, but that was uncalled for. You will apologise to me this instance!" Albus snapped, coming out of his chair, slapping his hand down onto his desk. "Furthermore, you will apologise to both Ronald Weasley and Pansy Parkinson, _and_ you will reverse the enchantment on Hermione Granger, restoring her to her human form."

Harry's head shot up. "But I didn't have anything to do with her being turned into an ass," Harry protested, a bewildered look on his face. It disappeared quickly, however, and he continued in a more heated manner, "And there will be a cold day in hell before I apologise to Ron and Pansy, or to you for that matter. What you are doing is wrong, and you know it! But for some insane reason you are determined to tear this school apart. Why? The Sorting Hat has been warning us about uniting, and yet you have done nothing to promote a lessening of the House rivalry. Why? What are you hoping to gain by having everyone at each others' throats?" Harry asked, almost pleading with the Headmaster at the end.

Dumbledore just looked at Harry for several long moments, and then he sighed heavily, sadly shaking his head. "I don't know you anymore, Harry. When did you go from an eager, bright child to become this cynical young adult? And I do not approve of the accusations you are throwing in my face, Harry. You will apologise to those you have wronged, and then I will look into the possibility of you breaking the bond with Draco Malfoy," Albus said, looking foreboding.

"What!" Harry cried out in shock, thankfully drowning out the squawk Draco emitted, but he could not hide the wince as Draco dug his talons' into Harry's shoulders.

Dumbledore ignored the outburst. "I had hoped that you could bring the two Malfoys over to our side, but so far I have seen no signs of you doing your duty. Lucius Malfoy has not approached me about becoming a spy for the Light, and the behaviour of Draco Malfoy is atrocious. You were supposed to keep them in line, Harry. You were _not_ supposed to encourage them to think they have the freedom to do as they wish."

"I can't believe you!" Harry whispered, his knees buckling at the enormity of Dumbledore's words. "You truly did expect me to whore myself for the cause, didn't you?" he added, sounding young and almost broken.

"I have never asked you to whore for me, Harry," Albus said, giving the teen a disapproving look. "All I asked of you was to bond with Draco Malfoy, and bring him to the side of the Light. You have failed me, and as such, you have failed the Light. Do you truly wish for Tom Riddle to win?"

Harry's head shot up, and suddenly he was seeing red. "It haven't been three weeks since you dumped the Malfoys in my lap," Harry snapped. "What did you expect me to do? Invite Draco to my bedroom that first night and say, 'Hello darling, want to fuck?'" he asked incredulous

"There is no reason to be crude, Harry. But the fact remains, you have done _nothing_ to encourage the Malfoys to come over to my side. On the contrary, you have done everything you could to diminish my authority over them. I cannot allow that. I _will_ not allow that. I am Albus Dumbledore, the one hope the Light has to win this war, and I refuse to allow insubordination among my people!" Albus stated smartly, towering threateningly over Harry.

Harry for his part could only stare dumbly at Dumbledore. He had suspected for a while that the Headmaster wasn't seeing a person when he looked at him, but a weapon. But to have it stated this bluntly to his face!

Draco was seething as well, and it took every ounce of willpower he possessed not to tear the Headmaster to pieces. Insubordination! Who the hell did he think he was? For that matter, who did he think Harry was? A soldier? They were sixteen for Salazar's sake! Still students attending school. Neither of them had signed on to fight in this war!

Still seething, the Veela moved around his mate and enveloped him in a fierce hug. Dumbledore be damned. Harry needed him, and that was all that mattered.

Harry desperately tried to will the gathering tears away, longing with every fibre in his body to wrap himself around Draco. Staring unblinkingly at the Headmaster, everything suddenly fell into place, and with blinding clarity Harry finally understood what game the old man was playing.

"This is all about me, isn't it? Me and the crimes you think I have committed. You forgot that I am human, a sixteen year old boy, and you are treating me like a weapon. And when I refuse to blindly do as I am told, you punish me. You couldn't put that Unforgivable on me yourself, so when Pansy did it, you secretly applauded her, and as a reward you are allowing her to get away scot-free, not caring that it might end up tearing the school apart," Harry whispered, feeling horrified.

"And what is this shit about you being the only hope the wizarding world has? What of the prophecy? Is that something that you dreamed up so that you could keep me in the centre of this war? Is that what you are telling me?" Harry demanded angrily. Shaking his head, Harry could only stare at the man he thought he knew, realising fully for the first time that behind the mask of a benevolent grandfather was a ruthless master manipulator. A manipulator who had been forced to stand back and see his number one weapon refuse orders, and not being able to do anything about it.

Harry smirked, and it sent shivers down Dumbledore's spine. Suddenly, the Headmaster didn't feel quite as confident as he had moments before.

"If what you claim is true, that you are the only hope the Light side has, then I see no reason for me to be a part of this war anymore. And since my presence here upsets you so much, I will speak with Lucius, my _guardian_, and have him arrange for me to receive my schooling elsewhere. I am so sorry for having troubled you, Headmaster. Good day," Harry said, bowing his head slightly in farewell.

"Harry, you know very well that you are the only one who can vanquish the Dark Lord," Albus said sternly, not at all faced with this little power play from Harry; because that was all it was, a play for more power. "However, you can not deny that you know nothing about how to fight a war, and you lack the resources you need to become an effective opponent to Tom. I had hoped that Draco would be able to help you focus on your studies, but so far he has only assisted you in wreaking havoc on the school. Unless you start toeing the line, following my directives to the letter, then I will be forced to ban young Malfoy from Hogwarts, and only allow him a few hours of supervised visits every weekend. Think carefully, Harry, and approach me once you have made your decision.

"Oh, and to make sure that you can't go and whine to the Malfoys, _Securitas!_" the Headmaster shouted and a beam of light shot out from his wand that had suddenly appeared in his hand. The beam shot straight at Harry, who was completely taken by surprise and did not have time to either dodge or put up a shield.

Fortunately, the spell never hit the Elf. It hit Draco, who had tightened his grip on his mate, trying desperately to save them both by using his wings as protection.

"Think carefully, my boy, or you will have yet another life on your conscience. You would not want that, would you? Hmm?"

Not saying a word, Harry turned on his heel and fled the office, followed by Albus Dumbledore's merry chuckle.

HPDM

Lucius looked up as the door to the suite was banged open. Moments later the two boys all but fell through the portrait hole. He had not been happy when Harry insisted on confronting Dumbledore alone with only Draco for support. However, in the end the older Veela had given in, agreeing with the Elf that it was more probable that they'd get something out of the Headmaster if he thought Harry was alone than if they all barged into his office and demanded answers.

Unfortunately, it looked like his misgivings had been proven right, since it was hard to tell who was supporting whom. Draco was in full Veela protective mode and Harry... Harry looked like he was about to be violently sick at any moment.

"Dragon? What happened?" Lucius asked, putting his book down and jumping off the sofa he had been reclining on.

"Albus bloody Dumbledore! Who else? I'm going to _kill_ him," Draco seethed, falling to his knees when Harry's legs finally gave out on him.

Leaning to the side and away from Draco, the Elf finally lost his fight with his stomach and he convulsed as he threw up. Bending down, Lucius helped his son to steady the brunet, keeping his hair away from his face and rubbing soothing circles on the shivering back.

"I take it things went as well as we suspected?" Severus said dryly, coming to the boys' aid, placing a steadying hand on Draco's shoulder. The blond looked like he was about to join his mate in emptying his stomach.

"Worse, far worse. He-he cursed Draco. It was meant for me, but Draco ended up taking it in my stead. I can't... I can't believe he would say something like that," Harry whispered miserably, leaning gratefully back against the two Malfoys, wishing his brain would just shut up for a moment. Unfortunately, it didn't listen to him and it kept replaying the things Dumbledore had said over and over again.

Lucius cleaned up the mess and shared a glance with Severus. What in the world had the Headmaster done to cause this collapse? "What curse did he hit you with, Draco?" Lucius asked, looking down at his son who appeared to be rallying now that Harry was feeling slightly better.

"He cast Securitas. Fortunately, I was standing in front of Harry when he did it, and the spell hit my wings. I think... I think it was deflected," Draco said, sounding a tad unsure of himself.

"Dragon, will you show me what happened?" Lucius asked softly, reaching out to card his fingers through his son's soft hair.

"It will be my pleasure," Draco replied with a sharp nod and a shark like smile.

Harry muttered, "Oh, Merlin," before he doubled over and threw up again. Only he no longer had anything left in his stomach, and he ended up with dry heaves that was almost as bad as his earlier vomiting.

The two adults changed places, and Severus wrapped the distraught Elf into a reassuring hug. "Calm down, Harry. Whatever he did, it didn't work. Remember that. It. Did. Not. Work," he said, putting emphasis on the last words in his attempt to get through to the brunet.

"I know. But you don't know what he did!" Harry murmured, sounding extremely unhappy and distressed. "He threatened Draco. He said, Merlin I can't believe he would do that! He said that he would send Draco away, and only allow him to see me during a few hours on the weekends, and unless I did exactly as he wanted, Draco wouldn't even get that. His parting shot was, 'think carefully, my boy, or you will have yet another life on your conscience. You would not want that, now would you? Hmm?' And Sev, he sounded so damned _smug_!" Harry whispered. Turning around he threw his arms around the Potions master's shoulders and broke down into sobs.

"Hush now, baby, everything will be alright. We will get our revenge on Dumbledore and no one will ever come between you and Draco, I promise," Severus murmured, doing his best to soothe the teenager in his arms.

"Draco, show me what happened!" Lucius ordered, dragging his son to his feet, moving them a small distance away as not to disturb their mates.

While Severus did his best to calm Harry down, Lucius viewed the two teen's encounter with Dumbledore through his son's memories, using Legilimens. When he came out of the memory, the older Malfoy was seething, and it was all he could do not to walk out of the suite, find the Headmaster and rip him limb from limb.

Only the need to help his son come to terms with the enormity of the old man's betrayal kept Lucius from committing an act that most likely would land him in Azkaban. Not to mention that he would forever be an outcast in the wizarding world. The only one happy with him, part from his family, would be Tom Riddle, and who would want to make that man happy?

HPDM

"How is he?" Lucius asked, looking down on the teen laying in Severus' arms, looking pale and miserable.

Draco didn't even bother to ask, he just moved around his godfather and climbed into the bed on the other side and added his own arms to the ones already holding his mate.

"I've been better," Harry said weakly. Unable to look anyone in the eyes, Harry hid his face in Severus' shoulder. "Sorry for falling apart on you like that," he added, blushing a deep red.

"Child, I would have been surprised if you _hadn't _fallen apart. What Dumbledore did is unforgivable. I always knew he was manipulative, but to go this far... Just because you would put your own happiness and the happiness of your mate first..." Lucius paused, lacking words to describe how outrage he felt.

"I find it difficult to believe that he would actually throw the deaths of Cedric and Black into Harry's face like that," Severus said, shaking his head in disbelief. "As if either fatality was _ever_ Harry's fault. Cedric was a tragic accident, and I am still convinced that Dumbledore could have prevented it from ever happening. Mad-Eye is supposed to be one of Albus' oldest and best friends, and he didn't have one single suspicion that something wasn't right?" Severus asked with a sneer, still seething by the way 'Moody' had acted towards him that year.

"And Black refused to listen to reason. He insisted on coming with us, even though he knew it was a trap. I'm sorry, Harry, but your godfather was an impulsive man, showing all the worst traits of Gryffindor; and he did so proudly," Severus said, looking down at the youth resting so trusting in his arms.

"I know," Harry mumbled. "I did blame you at first, thinking that you hadn't taken my warning seriously. But when things had calmed down, and I got a chance to think... Sirius would probably be alive today, if he hadn't been playing around with Bellatrix, wouldn't he?"

Harry came out of Severus' shoulder and looked up at the two men. "I mean, we all know that she is insane. And she was Sirius' cousin. He if anyone should have known what she was capable of, right? And yet he treated the whole thing as if it was a bloody joke! What kind of idiot behaves like that? I mean, there we were, fighting for our lives, and he acts as if it was a friendly duel with Lupin or something!" Harry growled in frustration. The peace he had felt at Black Manor was swiftly falling away as he was once again confronted with the unreasonable expectations of others. And he hadn't even talked with the Heads of Houses yet!

"I'm sorry Black failed you, Harry, but I guess that the years in Azkaban damaged him more than anyone realised. Do you know if he got any kind of counselling at all? I know that he couldn't exactly go to St. Mungo's, but what of the school nurse? Pomfrey is skilled enough that she could have given him some basic Mind Healing," Lucius asked, placing a hand on his mate's shoulder.

Harry frowned in thought. "I don't think so. During my third year everyone thought he was a traitor, so he couldn't have gotten any help then. And after he left on Buckbeak... I always thought he left the country, but in truth, I have no idea what he did during my fourth year before he returned during the summer before fifth. And once he was locked up at Grimmauld Place..." Harry trailed off, unable to remember there ever being any talk about getting help for Sirius.

"Pomfrey never was called in to help Black," Severus said, adding his two Knut's worth. "And considering how Albus always enjoyed discussing Black with me, I doubt anyone else was called either. The Order isn't that big, we don't have that many resources when it comes to Healing. Pomfrey is about it, at least when it comes to major things like what we are talking about here."

"So Dumbledore failed Sirius twice," Harry said softly, a faraway look in his eyes.

"Twice?" Draco asked, cuddling closer to Harry, needing the contact himself even as he tried to offer reassurance towards his mate.

"Yeah. First, when he allowed Sirius to be sent to Azkaban without a trial. And then he did nothing, even though he knew that Sirius was innocent. He is Chief Warlock for Merlin's sake! Supreme Mugwump! How difficult would it have been to gather the Wizengamot to a hearing? Fudge could have protested all he wanted, but once Sirius had been doped up on Veritaserum, the truth would have been out and Sirius' name would have been cleared. It wouldn't have mattered if we had caught Pettigrew or not," Harry spat, starting to get furious again. But that was okay, he'd rather be furious than heartsick any day.

"And to top it all off, Dumbledore is the one who insisted that Sirius stay at Grimmauld Place, even though he _hated_ it there, and he couldn't even be arsed to offer him Healing. And then he just sits back and watches as Hogwarts is torn apart. You know, Draco, you had the right idea. I'm going to bloody well kill him!" Harry said, starting to move as if he was going to get out of the bed.

"You will do no such thing!" Severus said sternly. "You will not stain your hands with that man's blood, is that understood?"

"Severus is correct. Besides, don't you think killing him is far too lenient a punishment?" Lucius asked, arching an eyebrow.

Harry stilled, thinking that statement over. "Yeah, I suppose, "he reluctantly agreed. "Considering that Dumbledore thinks that Death is the next grand adventure, he wouldn't mind dying, would he?"

"It would be far worse a punishment for him to be left on the sidelines, wouldn't you agree?" Lucius asked, all but purring, causing Severus' to shudder slightly. That tone of voice always got to him.

Harry and Draco shared a look, and a mischievous grin appeared on both their faces. Lucius was right. Death was far too easy a punishment for a man who had caused so much misery and despair. They would make him suffer, much as they had suffered, and _then_ they would move in for the kill.

Hit with a thought, Harry glanced up at Lucius through his eyelashes. "Don't you think the Veela court would _love_ to hear about this? I mean, up until now, Dumbledore has acted as if he was supporting Draco and I, doing everything he could to encourage our courtship. Threatening to send Draco away the way he did... They wouldn't like that, would they?" Harry asked, the picture of innocence.

Draco sniggered. "How the Sorting Hat could place you anywhere but Slytherin I will _never_ understand.

HPDM

"The more I learn about the hardships that boy has had to face, the more astonished I am that we do not have two Dark Lords to contend with," Lucius murmured, collapsing onto the sofa he'd been occupying earlier.

Harry had fallen into a troubled sleep, and Draco had stayed with him in an attempt to comfort him and soothe eventual nightmares away. The two men had silently moved back to the living room where Lucius had shared the memories he had viewed in Draco's mind.

"I have come to question Dumbledore's methods more and more throughout the years -- we both know that that man is not the saint he wishes us to believe he is -- but this..." Severus trailed off, shaking his head. Hesitating only briefly, he sat down next to the Veela, tentatively clasping one of Malfoy's hands in his own, needing the closeness and the comfort the other offered him.

"How can he be so bloody callous? I know that he has no great love for us Slytherins; no matter how much he denies it in public, but... Harry is our only hope to win this war. Albus should be falling over backwards to make sure the boy has everything he needs. Emotional stability, love, not to mention training. And yet the old man is doing nothing, _nothing _to help Harry face and fulfil his destiny. It makes me wonder what that prophecy truly is saying," Severus mused, staring into space while stroking the back of the hand he was holding with his thumb.

Lucius all but purred as his mate soothed and calmed his anger and bitterness. "I suppose Dumbledore has been unopposed for so long that he truly believes he is the only one who is capable of accomplishing things. The way everyone is bowing down to his wishes... It is sickening if you think about it.

"And yes, it is remarkable that Harry has managed to stay as sane as he is. There was a reason that Tom Riddle turned out the way he did. He too was abused and belittled as a child, but where he turned to the Darkness, Harry somehow managed to remain in the Light." Lucius fell silent, deep in thought.

Unconsciously, he slid down and to the side slightly, resting his head on Severus' shoulder. "You know, it wouldn't surprise me if I were to find out that Dumbledore is using Harry as a way to ease his own consciences. Tom was neglected by the school, and he turned Dark. Harry is neglected by the school, and yet he is still Light. What if Dumbledore is using Harry to prove -- if only to himself -- that Tom turning Dark had nothing to do with Dumbledore and everything to do with Tom himself? After all, you said it yourself, Sev, Albus Dumbledore has no love for us Slytherins. I shudder to even guess how he must have felt about the heir of the Founder of our House."

"If that is what he is doing. And no, it wouldn't surprise me either if you turn out to be proven right. Not anymore. But if it is, then I haven't heard a whisper about it. Then again, Albus wouldn't be stupid enough to voice such things where his professors can hear him, especially Minerva." Severus sighed softly and tilted his head until it rested against Lucius' soft hair.

"No matter what the reasons are, they are a moot point. Harry is under your protection now; and if Dumbledore, Fudge, or that menace Skeeter tries anything, I am certain of your ability to make them rue their bad judgement," Severus said, sounding very confident and sure of himself.

Lucius chuckled. "You know, I almost wish that Fudge would try something. Considering the things that boy has in store for Dumbledore... It would be a delight to sit back and see what chaos he will spring on that idiot that poses as our Minister of Magic."

It was Severus' turn to chuckle. "He truly is a Marauder's son, isn't he? I suppose I should be thankful that he's been too busy to engage in any pranking before now. I'm not sure the castle would have survived both the Weasley twins _and_ Harry Potter. If those three ever got it into their heads to work together, why I shudder to think of the mayhem they would create. And if you add Draco into the mix..." Severus shuddered, knowing from experience just how devious Draco cold be if he put his mind to it. It looked like his mate could match the blond teen for deviousness, cunning, and sheer gall. Maybe it had been a good thing that the two hadn't gotten along before this year. Then again... Severus shook his head, dispelling that line of thought. The past was the past, and there was no sense in pondering on what ifs. Especially since they had their hands full with dealing with the present.

HPDM

Harry felt very much rejuvenated by his brief nap. He didn't exactly have a bounce in his step, but he was no longer feeling devastated by the Headmaster's betrayal either. Entering the Great Hall with his new family, Harry and Draco made their way over to the Slytherin table.

The four had talked things over, and decided it was important that Harry publicly showed his support for the snakes, proving that he did not blame them as a House for Pansy's unfortunate, not to mention idiotic, behaviour. Still, it was a relief to see that Parkinson was not present at the dinner table. In fact, there were no signs of Weasley either.

"How are you feeling, Harry?" Blaise asked, eyeing the brunet with worried eyes.

"Yeah, any lasting effects of what that bitch did to you?" Theo asked, giving Draco a once over in an attempt to read from the Veela how bad things were.

"Thank you for asking," Harry said with a small smile of gratitude. He couldn't help but feel warm at the care he could read in most Slytherins eyes and posture. It was subtle, you truly had to look for it, but it was there. "I can't say that it wasn't fun, but Severus' potions did their usual marvellous wonders, and I am fine now.

"I also want you to know that I am not holding Parkinson's actions against you as a House. I know not all of you wish to follow the Dark Lord, and if you ever find yourself in trouble, I will be more than happy to help," Harry said openly, sensing that now was not the time to act circumspect.

Draco glanced up and down the table, trying to get a feel for how Harry's statement was received. The Elf had put things a bit more bluntly than he would have, but then again, Harry was still very much a Gryffindor so maybe it wasn't a bad thing. And considering not many knew of his Slytherin side... The longer that was kept a secret, the better if you asked him.

"So, what did I miss while sleeping off the after-effects of Pansy's lunacy?" Harry asked lightly, placing a few potatoes on his plate, before loading up a helping of the honey glazed ham.

"Not much," Theo replied, helping himself to some fried chicken. "All classes were cancelled and our year was sent to the library to do a four foot essay for Defence."

Harry arched an eyebrow. "What is it about?"

"The Patronus. We are to list the history of the spell, its uses, the incantation, in short the works," Blaise replied. "It is due for next Defence lesson, which is tomorrow!" he added, making a face of distaste.

"Suddenly, I am very happy that I decided not to take Defence this year," Harry said with a smug grin on his face. Draco too wore a look of smugness and delight.

As one, the other sixth years made a face of envy, before pointedly turn the subject to other matters. Harry and Draco just chuckled, not feeling sorry at all that they had missed out on that particular homework. Besides, it wasn't as if either of them was incapable of casting the Charm successfully.

HPDM

Dinner went by smoothly. The Gryffindors were either talking cheerfully, or glowering darkly at the Slytherins. The Slytherins acted as if everything was fine, ignoring with ease from long practice the glowering looks, going about their own business. The Ravenclaws were whispering among themselves, keeping close tabs on the two feuding Houses, and the Hufflepuffs went teary-eyed every time they looked at Harry, which they did a lot.

Harry did his best to act as if he was oblivious to it all. It did help to keep his mind of the somewhat tense atmosphere by anticipating what would happen once the dessert was served.

Draco had similar problems, and more than one Slytherin wondered what the fevered look in the Ice Prince's eyes meant.

At first, nothing special happened, more than a few mutterings when the only type of dessert served were ice-cream. There were about a hundred different kinds of flavours, with everything from plain vanilla and chocolate, to more complicated tastes as Bertie Bott's Every Flavour, and butterscotch. Still, there was nothing but ice-cream on the menu, which was unusual. Still, after a few surprised looks and stares, the Hogwarts population dug in and enjoyed their favourite flavours.

Halfway through the treat, a startled scream could be heard. As one, everyone turned to look at the Ravenclaw table and at the second year boy who had shot to his feet. It was easy to understand the reason behind the shout, since the robes did nothing to hide the fact that the second year was looking as if he was nine months pregnant. Suddenly, the stomach contorted and with a flash, the Ravenclaw 'gave birth' to a stuffed, fluffy, white teddy bear, replenished in a wizard's robes and a wizard's hat in dark blue velvet. The boy blushed scarlet, mortified that his secret wish for a favourite toy had been revealed to the entire school.

Before anyone could comment, there were several more startled cries, as other students fell victim to the potion Harry had asked Dobby to lace the all the ice-cream served that evening with.

Even Harry and Draco fell under the potion's influence, chuckling merrily when their secret whish turned out to be a stuffed, cute looking dragon. Harry's was Slytherin green with silvery eyes, while Draco's was of deepest black with green eyes.

Harry hugged his stuffed dragon close to his chest, feeling waves of love wash over him. Childish or not, he was never getting rid of this toy.

Up at the Head Table, Severus' and Lucius' knew what was about to happen, but since they did not wish to fall under suspicion they were forced to endure the humiliation along with the other teachers. They had hoped that they could avoid participating since both of them were back to fasting. None of them wanted to risk the ceremony that was about to take place on Friday. But Harry had been tenacious, claiming that he didn't want suspicion to fall on the two Slytherins, and after consulting with both Helga Hufflepuff and the Spirit snakes, it was decided that the potion could be safely added to their drinks.

Severus stared down into his goblet, swirling the content around before sighing deeply and drinking the content down. _I suppose we could have simply refused. I'm certain that between us, Lucius and I could have come up with a suitable explanation why we were the only ones who didn't get a toy,_ he thought contemplatingly.

_Or, we could have simply put a stop to the entire thing, I guess. But Harry is right. Since we are going to turn the school on its head, the children _will_ need something to help them cope. And no matter how much I dislike the idea of creating a stuffed toy, they should help the students when things get too much. I wonder where Lucien Malfoy got the idea from? It is rather ingenious to create a toy that imitates the feelings of a mother's hug, or inspires the same feelings you receive from your soul mate. _

_And since the magic used to create the blasted thing is personal, the ideal toy will be created, ensuring it is something the children will want to cuddle, no matter what age. Of course, I am far above such things. Still…_

Severus was brought out of his musings at Minerva's startled gasp. Turning to look, the Potions master smirked when he saw the stuffed cat the Transfigurations professor was holding gently in her hands. "My, my, my, anything you care to confess?" he asked, his voice laced with amusement.

McGonagall looked up from the black cat with startling emerald eyes and gave Snape a frosty look. "Really, Severus, such comments are low even from you. I truly believed better of you," she said with a huff. Still, she cradled the stuffed cat to her bosom, a happy little smile playing on her lips.

There probably would have been quite a bit more teasing from the others, if Sprout hadn't picked that moment to 'birth' a stuffed Devils' Snare, which caused most of those sitting nearby to burst out laughing.

She was soon followed by Flitwick, who 'fathered' a golden Gryphon, and by Albus who 'birthed' a stuffed bird that looked remarkably a lot like Fawkes, causing quite a few to wonder about the relationship between the Headmaster and his Phoenix.

Neither Draco nor Harry raised an eyebrow when both Severus and Lucius also 'fathered' similar toys; a pair of large snakes, done in a deep Slytherin green and with eyes that matched that of their mate. Having seen the toys, and having felt the feelings they produced, the two reluctantly agreed with Harry that it was an excellent way to help the student body recover from the unpleasant events of lunch. Still, couldn't the brat have found a better and less... public venue to do this? One that circumvented the need for the two of them to participate? Still, both Severus and Lucius managed to keep up a mask of confusion and amusement, taking special delight in the gentle ribbing that Dumbledore received from his teachers.

Dumbledore, however, was not happy. Once again the school had been subjected to a malicious prank. He might have managed to take it all in good cheer, if it wasn't for the fact that the only thing that appeared on his plate was fried liver and fried tomatoes. He supposed he should be happy that the blasted liver wasn't raw!

The Headmaster had gulped down as much of the revolting thing as he could, knowing that both Minerva and Poppy would be after him if he didn't eat something. He had hoped to be able to wash the horrid taste away with some ice-cream, but yet again the powers that be worked against him. No matter what flavour he tried, he only got Bertie Bott's Every Flavour. It actually reminded him of the troubles he had had with his lemon drops as every bite he took tasted worse than the last. Dirt, more liver, kippers, boiled cabbage. He gave up when he got a mouthful of earwax. Not even the soothing feelings coming off that blasted toy managed to unruffle his feathers. Just wait until he found out who the prankster was! They would scrub the entire caste with the smallest toothbrush he could find! In the nude! With Filch standing over them with a whip to ensure that they didn't cheat!

Slightly calmed by that cheerful image, Albus managed to sit out the rest of the meal before fleeing up to his office and the bag of lemon drops waiting for him there.

HPDM

McGonagall looked up in surprise when someone knocked on the door to her office. Considering the events at dinner, she didn't think anyone would come calling. Obviously, she had been wrong.

"Come," she called, feeling her eyebrows rise as Harry Potter along with the Malfoys and Severus stepped inside. "Gentlemen, this was unexpected."

"I hope I'm not disturbing you, Professor, but I wanted to talk to you about what happened earlier today at Lunch," Harry said calmly. The four of them had agreed that he would take the lead since he was the one who had been cursed. The Malfoys were with him since neither was prepared to allow him to confront his Head of House alone, not after what had happened with the Headmaster earlier. And Severus was there as a fellow Head of House. Hopefully, he would be able to help reason with McGonagall if she proved to be difficult.

"What is there to talk about? I assure you, Mr. Potter, that the Headmaster has everything well in hand," McGonagall said crisply.

"Has he?" Harry asked bitterly. "Then why isn't he doing anything? This isn't the first time Pansy Parkinson has attacked me, and yet the Headmaster is willing to sit back and do nothing? Am I the only one who has a problem with that?" Harry asked, incredulous.

"Mr. Potter, the Headmaster has assured me that Miss Parkinson is regretting deeply her actions from earlier today. Surely, you can see that there is little point in taking this further? You do not truly wish to see a fellow student expelled, do you?" McGonagall asked, deliberately playing on the boy's tender heart.

Harry snorted. "No, I am not demanding that Pansy is expelled, but don't you see that you are making the same mistake now that you did when my father was at school? Pansy cast one of the Unforgivables. Now, I'm not even going to discuss the fact that she managed to do so successfully, because that would imply something nasty, wouldn't it?" Harry asked, giving his Head of House a pointed look. "But not doing anything at all, is just as bad as when you wilfully ignored the fact that Sirius almost got Severus killed," Harry said insistently.

"Harry, I don't know what Severus has told you, but Sirius Black did not try to get him killed," Minerva said, giving the Potions master a dark look.

"No? Then tricking a fellow student to enter the place where a werewolf was hiding on the night of the full moon was just a harmless prank? Just as harmless as casting Crucio on a fellow student perhaps?" Harry asked, a deceptively mild look on his face.

"Exactly!" McGonagall cried out, before considering what Harry had said. "Now, Harry. Sirius did not mean to kill Severus. He was only trying to give him a scare. Your father was there, and he made sure that nothing bad happened to Severus. Giving Black a harsh punishment would have risked exposing Remus Lupin, and none of us wanted to do that. It was a most unfortunate business, but it all ended well, wouldn't you say?"

Harry snorted. "'It all ended well'. Is that all you care about? That 'it all ended well'? What about the fact that Severus was almost turned into a werewolf? What of the fact that you all gave the Slytherins one more reason to be disgruntled with the leadership of this school? What of the fact that you gave the Marauders the impression that they could do anything they wished, since they would not be punished for it? That event only deepened the rift between the two Houses, and none of you have done _anything_ to heal it. What will it take for you to see reason? A killing curse!" Harry asked in frustration, looking at the one professor he had thought would see reason other than Severus.

"The school is on the brink of falling apart. And Dumbledore doesn't even care! All he cares about is the blasted war. The Sorting Hat has given us fair warning about the need for unity and according to Nearly Headless Nick, the Hat only does that in times of grave danger. Are you really that blind? Or have Dumbledore managed to hoodwink you so much that you no longer can think for yourself?" Harry asked bitterly.

"Mr. Potter, ten points from Gryffindor for disrespecting your teachers," McGonagall gasped, outraged.

"But she didn't refute your accusations," Draco drawled, forcing Harry to bite his lover lip in an attempt to prevent himself from laughing.

"Mr Malfoy! Ten points from Slytherin!" McGonagall snapped angrily.

"Minerva, I agree that Potter could have expressed his point a bit better," Severus said dryly, "but you have to agree that nothing good came out of that night so long ago. The Marauders grew even more vicious, and we all know that many of the Slytherins ended up as Voldemort's followers because they felt that Dumbledore had let them down. Are you truly prepared to allow history to repeat itself?

"I don't care what your personal feelings towards my Slytherins are, but for the school's sake, this incident can not be allowed to just slide. Steps have to be taken to avoid an escalation of violence. Albus is wrong to think that this will be an isolated event. Unless Pansy Parkinson is punished for her actions, things _will_ escalate, going from bad to worse."

"Albus would never allow such a thing to happen," McGonagall said stiffly, her entire body radiating disapproval. "Why are you encouraging Mr. Potter in his thirst for revenge, Severus? You were present at the meeting the Headmaster called. You know his reasoning, and yet you are here with Harry Potter, intent to cause discord.

"Pansy Parkinson has expressed her sincere regret for her actions. It has been established that the potion she was tricked into taking affected both her temper and her judgement. The Headmaster has made his decision in this matter, and I will not listen to any further arguments," McGonagall said firmly, placing both her hands on top of her desk.

"So you don't even think that Parkinson should apologise to me for cursing me?" Harry asked, arching an eyebrow.

"The matter has been _dealt_ with, which is most fortunate for you, Mr. Potter, or I would have given you a month's worth of detentions for your stupid stunt. What in Merlin's name possessed you to play such a nasty prank? This just isn't like you, Harry," McGonagall said, giving Harry a disappointed look.

"Anyway, that is all I have to say on that matter. Unless there was something else?" McGonagall gave them all a pointed look that dared them to say anything. "Then I will wish you a good night, gentlemen."

Harry just stood there, staring at his Head of House, trying to understand why she refused to listen. She was the Deputy Headmistress. It was her _duty_ to look out for the good of the school. Shaking his head sadly, Harry squared his shoulders. "So, what you are saying is that as long as no one is killed, it is okay to do whatever you wish?"

"Good _night_, gentlemen," McGonagall stated firmly, pointedly picking up a parchment that she began to read.

Snorting, Harry marched out of the office, his mind already revising the plans he and the others had made for the upcoming days.

"You just made a very serious mistake, Minerva," Severus said musingly. "I shouldn't be surprised, I suppose. You _are_ a Gryffindor after all. I must say that the next few days will be most interesting. _Most_ interesting."

Minerva snorted. "We all know that Harry is a lose cannon, Severus. Yes, Albus came and told me what happened earlier today. I can't believe that sweet, innocent Harry would try to blackmail the Headmaster. What in the world have you and your son _done_ to him, Malfoy?" Minerva asked, giving Lucius a dark look. "Harry Potter _never_ acted this disrespectful before. Mark my words, I will find out what Dark magic you have preformed on the child, and once he has been purged from the effects, I will take great pleasure in seeing you and your son be kicked out of Hogwarts!" McGonagall spat, giving the blond a smug and superior look.

It was Lucius' time to snort. "I wish you luck, madam," he said, giving the infuriating woman a smug look of his own. "I shall find it interesting to see who is kicking whom out of the castle."

With one last, sad look at his colleague, Severus turned away and walked out of the office, taking Lucius with him. He had known that it would be futile to try and argue with Minerva, and yet, some small part of his heart had held out hope that she would see reason and do the right thing. No wonder the school was in such disarray when the two leaders were so blatantly unfair and unjust. Hogwarts was in for a rough ride, and Severus found that he was looking forward to the mayhem Harry was planning. It was about time McGonagall and Dumbledore got a taste of the 'harmless' pranks the Marauders had launched on the Slytherin House.

_I wonder if they will find those pranks as amusing as victims as they did as spectators?_

_---------------------------------------------------_

**Next Time:  
**The true Prank regime begins.  
Until then…


	60. Mayhem At Hogwarts – It Begins

**Disclaimer:** Do not own them.

**A/N:** Wohoo! This story has been nominated for the Sorting Hat Award! A big thank you to the one who submitted my story. Thank you! (My story The Marriage has been nominated too in case anyone is interested in knowing. I still can't believe it!)

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**_Mayhem at Hogwarts – It Begins_**

**_Wednesday, Sep. 18_**

"Lucius, what news do you bring?" Lord Voldemort asked, looking down at the proud aristocrat kneeling before his throne.

"Harry Potter was placed under the Cruciatus Curse earlier today, my Lord," Lucius answered, doing his best to keep his face impassive.

"Who dare do such a ting?" Voldemort hissed, becoming rigid with anger. He hated it when his people became created on their own time. They were meant to do his bidding, _not_ to think for themselves!

"Pansy Parkinson, my Lord."

Voldemort paused; at least it hadn't been one of his followers. Still, the girl was the daughter of one of his men, and considering how eager she had been to receive his mark… "What is that old fool Dumbledore doing? Has he expelled the girl yet, or is there some way to salvage the situation?" If the girl had been carted off to Azkaban she was of no further use to him.

"Dumbledore has done nothing, Master, claiming that it was not her fault," Lucius reported dutifully, waiting tensely for Riddle's reaction.

For a second time that night, the Dark Lord paused. Dumbledore was standing up for one of the Slytherins? Against Harry Potter? What in the world was happening at Hogwarts, and why hadn't he been informed sooner? "Tell me what happened," Lord Voldemort ordered, getting up from his throne like chair and began to pace as he listened to Malfoy's report.

"Earlier today Pansy Parkinson was pranked along with Ronald Weasley. The pranker used the Face-Switch Potion, my Lord, causing the bodies of Parkinson and Weasley to change places. Understandably, neither of them was happy about it. For some reason Pansy Parkinson put the blame on Harry Potter, and she used the Unforgivable on him to teach him a lesson. Dumbledore managed to get his staff to agree to not punish the girl due to the 'nature' of the potion," Lucius said, suppressing a snarl of anger at Dumbledore. The blond had in no way or shape forgiven the Headmaster, and Lucius had a feeling it would be a cold day in hell before he did.

Voldemort frowned. "What nature of the potion?" he asked, feeling slightly perplexed. He knew of the potion, of course, had even used it a time or two when he was attending Hogwarts, but he had never heard of anyone suffering from side effects.

"According to Dumbledore, the Parkinson girl was unable to help herself since she was affected by not only her own temper, but that of Weasley as well."

"What utter nonsense! And the teachers actually believed him?" Voldemort asked, not believing his ears.

"Yes, my Lord. Up to date, only Severus and I have spoken up on Harry's behalf. The rest of the professors are only too happy to allow the matter to be forgotten," Lucius said with a sneer. He hadn't forgiven McGonagall for her callous way to handle the situation either.

Voldemort slowly paced around his chamber, pondering the things he had been told. "What are your thoughts, Lucius?" he eventually asked.

"I know that Narcissa promised Draco to the Parkinson girl while they both were mere toddlers. I was never happy with her choice of wife for my son. Apart from the fact that I found it highly unlikely that the Veela in Draco would ever pick _her_ for a Mate, I have been increasingly unhappy with the girl's manners and attitude. She does not possess a refined bone in her body. She is spoilt and wilful and her only ambition in life is becoming Mrs. Malfoy," Lucius said, making a face of disgust as he remembered the few times he'd been forced to spend time with her. He had always felt a large amount of pity for Draco who had to spend most of the year in the same place as that leech.

"Would she be a loyal follower to me?" Riddle asked, getting to the point he was interested in.

"I doubt it, my Lord. She has been a leader of sort in Slytherin due to her closeness to Draco, but she has done absolutely nothing to promote interest in you and your cause. All she ever talks about are the parties she is going to host as Mrs. Malfoy, spending more time talking about her clothes and jewelleries than developing strategies to sway those not fully loyal to you."

"Hmm, from what her father has told me, she is burning to join my ranks," Voldemort said musingly, not happy with what he was hearing. Settling back in his chair, the Dark Lord regarded the man who had become on of his most trusted followers.

When Abraxas had informed him of the unfortunate attachment his son had formed with Severus Snape, Voldemort hadn't thought much of it. Both boys were destined to join him, and he didn't really care about who they married, as long as it was a Pureblood who could give birth to new soldiers for his growing army.

So when the current Head of Malfoy had asked for permission to follow through with his plans to marry of his oldest son to Narcissa Black, Voldemort had given it instantly. The Black's was a Dark family, all but for that nuisance Sirius that is. Bellatrix was already madly devoted to him, and Riddle had expected the same level of devotion from her sister.

However, Narcissa Black had turned out to be a disappointment. She had been shallow and vain, with little love over for anyone but herself. She had supported her husband in his work for the Dark Lord, but she had not proven herself the way her sister had done.

Yes, Lord Voldemort might currently be a tad disappointed in the witch, but Bellatrix _was_ one of his most devoted followers, not even Lucius came close to her. Then again, these days she was slightly insane due to her stay in Azkaban, but that was beside the point.

The point was that Voldemort had hoped to tighten his hold on young Lucius through his wife. Both he and Severus had been wilful boys, and Riddle had not felt secure in their devotion to him at the time they were sixteen. Sadly, Narcissa had turned out to be a failure to him, and Voldemort couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he had allowed the true bond to flourish between Malfoy and Snape. Would they have turned away from him? Or would they have been his strongest supporters? With Lucius intelligence and with Severus' Potions, the three of them could have been unstoppable. As it were…

As it were, Lucius had been tied closely to Narcissa, who had been more interested in showing herself and her husband off in the polite circles rather than planning raids and plotting the downfall of Albus Dumbledore.

And Severus… Severus had proven as skilled as his mother had promised, but due to his closeness to Dumbledore Voldemort had been unable to utilise him fully as well. Was it really worth allowing the history to repeat itself? Could he afford to make the same mistake twice?

"What does Harry Potter say of all this?" Voldemort asked, reaching out to pet his loyal familiar. Could Severus have helped him find a way to gain his body back sooner if he could have been reached that fateful night so long ago?

"Harry is not happy, my Lord," Lucius replied, biting back a snort at that understatement. Forcing himself to relax, the Veela did not wish to have his muscles cramp up due to being forced to kneel before the monster he had once served. He was not about to show weakness by hobbling when he left his 'master's' presence. That he was constantly tensing, waiting for the Crucio that never came, didn't exactly improve his situation.

"Is he prepared to finally break off from under the old meddlers thumb?" Voldemort asked eagerly, focusing fully on Lucius once more.

"Yes, my Lord. Harry is furious at the Headmaster for not taking the proper actions, especially since Pansy has tried to cause trouble between Draco and him before. Harry even went so far as to confront McGonagall, but she is so blinded by Dumbledore that she sent him away with a few inane words. I can assure you, Master, that Harry Potter is not Dumbledore's Golden Boy any longer."

"Good, good. That pleases me greatly. How soon do you think it is before you can bring him before me? Surely there is no need for waiting until Christmas if he is that discontent with the status quoe?" Voldemort asked with a gleeful cackle.

Lucius mentally cursed angrily. This was precisely the situation they had feared when Lucius went to report to the Dark Lord. However, considering the happenings at Hogwarts, they did not dare _not_ making this report.

"I do not know, my Lord," Lucius said, bracing himself for a round of Cruciatus. "I do know, however, that Harry is firmly on Draco's side, and although they haven't fully bonded yet, he is committed to bonding with my son."

"Excellent, you shall both be richly awarded for this. To think that I have a pair of Veelas to thank for luring Harry Potter to my side," Voldemort said, rubbing his hands together gleefully. "Normally, I would mark the two of them before allowing them to bond. Abraxas performed a thorough research, finding that the Veela bond would interfere with my bond, making the bonded pair less loyal to me. It was one of the reasons why I allowed him to bond you to Narcissa," Riddle said almost as an afterthought, casting Lucius a brief glance.

"However, I must say that I am disappointed in Narcissa. She has made some powerful connections inside the Ministry, but not once has she encouraged her paramours to come to me. On the contrary, all her demands of favours have benefited herself, never me or my cause."

Voldemort drummed his fingers against the arm of his chair, staring into space as he thought deeply. "Yes, I shall allow your son to bond with Harry Potter. Once the bond has been established, and Potter is pregnant, only then will I bond the two of them to me. It will be a great experiment to see where their loyalty will lie. If nothing else, it shall make it easier for me to kill off Potter. Pregnant and defenceless, he will be no match for my superior skill and strength," Voldemort said braggingly with a smug smirk on his face.

"Lucius, you have until Halloween. I expect Potter to be bonded with Draco by then, and the brat better be pregnant by Christmas, is that understood?"

"Yes, my Lord. It shall be as you wish," Lucius intoned, bowing his head in submission.

"As for the Parkinson girl… I need to think of something nasty. I will not have the children of my followers go after Potter. He is mine. He has always been mine!" Voldemort all but snarled. "Go. Inform your son of his duties, and tell Potter that I will avenge the pain he has experienced today."

"You are too kind, my Lord," Lucius said regally as he slowly climbed to his feet. He was eager to leave, but he didn't want his 'master' to know just how willing he was to go. He did not have a death wish, after all.

"Oh, and Lucius, make sure to tell Severus that I am most displeased with his lack of progress. He has had days, and yet no words have reached me on his success on getting his hands on the Black Truth. If Potter managed to find a way to brew that thing, then surely Severus will have little problem? He better have a positive report, and soon, or I will find another use of his body," Voldemort snarled angrily.

Lucius paled, but he bowed and mumbled an affirmative.

Finally able to leave the Dark Lord's current lair, Lucius Apparated away, his heart clenching with fear for his mate. Friday couldn't come soon enough.

HPDM

"How did it go?" Severus asked quietly as he regarded the tired-looking Veela entering his quarters for signs of Unforgivables.

"Bloody marvellous," Lucius said with a snarl.

"That well, huh?" Severus asked with a wry smile. Moving forward, he gathered the blond into a gentle embrace. Lucius didn't question his good fortune, but placed his aching head on a sturdy shoulder.

"The good news is that Riddle will punish Miss Parkinson for her actions. We all know how that man feels about creativity among his minions. The bad news is that we have only until Halloween for Draco to bond with his mate, and then until Christmas to ensure that Harry gets pregnant."

Lucius' voice was slightly muffled, but Severus had no problems hearing him. "What about the Dark Mark?" he asked with a slight frown.

Lucius choked on a laugh. "Apparently, our Lord finds Narcissa lacking. He is not pleased with the way she has been conducing herself. So, my son and his mate will be his next guinea-pigs. He will allow them to bond, and _then_ he will mark them, to see if the bond truly will interfere the way that my 'dear' father hinted it would."

Severus wordlessly wrapped his arms tighter around the blond.

"He is also waiting for a report about your progress with the Black Truth," Lucius said with a sigh. "He figures that if Harry could get hold of the recipe, then so should you. Especially considering that you are a Master and Potter isn't."

"Don't worry, Luce, I will stare him in the face and lie through my teeth. The way I always do," Severus added wryly.

"I'm scared, Sev. What if something goes wrong?" Lucius whispered, for once not ashamed to show his weakness.

"Nothing will go wrong. We know when he will call me next, and we are as prepared as we can be. Friday is almost here, Dearheart." Severus leaned his head down and put his lips right next to a delicate year. "Two more days, and then we will be free, love. Just two more days."

Lucius closed his eyes and took strength in those words. Severus was correct, their salvation was just around the corner, and he would help no one by falling apart now. Besides, he was a Malfoy, and Malfoys did not fall apart. Only lesser beings did that. Taking a deep breath, working hard on relaxing his tattered nerves, Lucius slowly pulled away from his mate, giving him a vane smile. He wasn't sure why he was suddenly so jumpy, but somehow he couldn't shake a feeling of foreboding.

HPDM

**_Thursday, Sep. 19_**

A group of fourth years Hufflepuffs trotted into the History of Magic classroom, talking quietly among themselves. There was a lot of good-natured grumblings about getting up in the morning only to take a nap first thing. So far, not many of the students had managed to keep awake for an entire History lesson, and not for the first time did the pupils wish that the ghost would tire of teaching and just move _on_ already!

The bell rang and Professor Binns came sailing through the wall the way he always did.

"Good morning class," Binns droned, not waiting for a reply, never even looking up from his papers. "Today we will continue to talk about the Goblin uprising of--"

The ghost never finished the sentence. A blue light suddenly appeared, surrounding the professor and immobilising him. A gravely voice began to speak in a language that none of the living had ever heard before, and the Hufflepuffs began to shift restlessly in their seats. Somehow they had a feeling that this was not part of the lecture. However, before the braver ones could make up their minds as what to do, the voice stopped speaking and the blue light flashed brightly, blinding them all. Once the black spots had disappeared, it took the fourth years a few moments to realise that their professor had disappeared.

"Do you think the shock sent him over the edge to the other side?" one brave boy asked in a hushed whisper.

"Nah, with my luck he probably just left for the staff room," one girl said morosely.

"Do you think we should wait?" another girl asked, looking around the room nervously.

"This isn't a Monday, is it?" a boy asked, glancing towards the door as he was expecting a suit of armours to appear at any moment.

The rest of the Hufflepuffs shifted in their seats, their nervousness increasing greatly by the minute.

When nothing had happened for five minutes, the first one to speak spoke up again. "Do you think we should tell anyone what happened?"

"I suppose so..." one of the girls said reluctantly.

"Right! Miranda, you find Professor McGonagall. Morgan, you head down to the dungeons and alert Professor Snape, and I will head off and alert Professor Flitwick," one of the boys said, taking charge.

"What about the Headmaster? Shouldn't we tell him too?"

"Do you know where we can find him?"

"Umm, no?"

"Then I suggest we head for the teachers we do know how to find. Too bad Professor Sprout is so far away, or I'd suggest we head for her first. She _is_ our Head of House after all."

The other students nodded their heads in agreement. Sprout would have been their first choice too. Unfortunately, the greenhouses were on the other side of the castle and this matter needed adult attention now.

HPDM

Minerva McGonagall was not happy when there was a tentative knock on her door. Marching down the aisle she threw the door open, secretly holding her wand at the ready. Today wasn't a Monday, but you couldn't be too careful when mischief was afoot. The Marauders had taught her that.

"Yes, Miss Huxter? How may I be of assistance?" Minerva asked with forced calm.

"Umm, begging your pardon, Professor, but Professor Binns just disappeared," Miranda replied timidly.

Minerva blinked. "Professor Binns just disappeared?" she echoed nonplussed.

Miranda nodded her head vigorously. "Aha, there was a blue light, then someone spoke really funny, and when the light disappeared, so did Professor Binns," the girl said earnestly.

Minerva pinched the bridge of her nose. By the sound of it, someone had done a bloody exorcism on the ghost. Not that she could blame whoever had done it; she had been sorely tempted to do one herself a time or two. But who would have the nerve to actually perform the ritual? And right under the nose of Albus Dumbledore? "I see. Have you informed the Headmaster?"

"No, Professor. None of us know where to find him," Miranda replied, shifting nervously from foot to foot.

"I see," Minerva said once more. For a moment she wondered what to do next, fighting down a bout of hysterical laughter. Singing armours and now this. Dear Merlin, but what would happen next? Taking a deep breath, McGonagall pulled herself together. This was not the time for such fruitless ponderings. Now was a time for action.

Snapping her fingers she summoned a house-elf. "Dobby, find the Headmaster and tell him to come to the history classroom as soon as possible," Minerva instructed the excited elf, never giving him a chance to do one of his exuberated greetings.

Turning around McGonagall gained the attention of her wildly gossiping class by emitting a loud bang from her wand. "Class, you have until next time to ponder what animal you would like to have as a pet. Once you have made a decision, you will head for the library and research said animal. You will then hand in a one foot essay on why you wish to have this animal for a pet, and you will give me a better reason other than 'because it is cute', or 'because it is cuddly'. Is that understood?" McGonagall barely waited for the students to nod their heads in understanding, before barking, "Then this class is dismissed!"

Minerva watched with grim amusement how the students all jumped before packing their things away. She might not be Severus Snape, but she still had the students' obedience and respect.

Turning towards the fourth year, McGonagall focused on the business at hand. "Miss Huxter, please tell me more of Professor Binns' disappearance."

HPDM

Severus Snape arched an eyebrow at the timid knock on his door. Unlike McGonagall, the Potions professor had been expecting something to happen. Unfortunately, he was not aware in what manner his morning was to be disturbed. Harry had been annoyingly closed lipped on that matter, claiming that he wanted their reactions to be as natural as possible.

Severus snorted to himself; as if he wasn't fully capable of acting any emotions needed. "Come," he barked, causing half the class to jump in fright. "Mr Darlington, why are you disturbing my class?" Severus asked silkily, glaring down at the small Hufflepuff who was standing in the doorway.

Morgan Darlington gulped but bravely stepped inside the classroom and said in a rush, "Professor Binns was caught in a blue light and some voice said something really strange and now he's gone and we don't know were the Headmaster's office is so we figured we'd better come and get you and Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall."

Severus raised an eyebrow and looked down at the Hufflepuff with amusement. He didn't think the boy had drawn breath once while making his report. Then the words registered, and the Potions master rubbed his face with his hands, biting back a moan. Potter had somehow managed to perform an exorcisms, and Severus just _knew_ who the Headmaster would ask to solve the how's of _that_ little bit of magic.

"Wonderful," Severus mumbled sarcastically to himself, rubbing his temples tiredly. Glancing around the room the professor surveyed his class. "Mr. Lerwick, you will make sure that everyone pack up their things and leave their work area in pristine order. If I am not happy with the result, the entire class will serve detention with Rubeus Hagrid for a week.

"Homework will be a three foot essay on how to locate, capture, and prepare different ant species for use in Potions. Dismissed!"

All the seventh years shuddered, before they hurriedly began to put their things away. None of them wished to help the half-giant with taking care of his current pet. And they wished to venture out into the Forbidden Forest even less.

Satisfied that his dungeons would still be standing when he came back, Severus marched out of the class room, determined to have a little chat with Harry at earliest opportunity.

HPDM

Storming down the hallways, not caring whether Darlington could keep up or not, Severus arrived at Binns' classroom in record time. As he had suspected, Severus noted that both his colleagues had arrived before he did, as had the Headmaster. Then again, the others had had a shorter distance to cover, not to mention that they didn't have a classroom filled with dangerous and violate substances together with a room full of dunderheads.

"Care to tell me what is going on?" Severus barked, noting with a hidden smile the way most of the Hufflepuffs jumped in their seats. Constant vigilance! It was the only thing he and that crazed ex-Auror had in common. These children had to learn or they would all get killed. Unfortunately, too many didn't learn until it was far too late.

"Ah, Severus. It would seem someone took it upon themselves to send our History professor to the other side," Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling merrily. Severus couldn't help but wonder if it was for the benefit for the children. Surely, Albus wasn't that blasé about what had happened?

"And how was that managed? You need at least three wizards and a very specific ritual to accomplish that," Severus said demandingly while frowning with displeasure. Moving around the room on silent feet, the Potions master tried to figure out how in the world Harry had managed it. Was it some Elfish power the youth hadn't bothered to mention yet? It would seem highly unlikely that the boy had gone for outside help. Yes, he would indeed have a little chat with the imp later on.

"That is what we are trying to find out," McGonagall snapped, rattled by the mysterious event. If it indeed was You Know Who who was behind the strange happenings that had occurred lately... Then just how safe was the school? Had the Dark Lord truly managed to penetrate the castle? Or was this a repeat of what had happened three years ago? But who would wish to disturb the school like this if it wasn't You Know Who?

Albus was standing at the teacher's desk, his attention caught by the stone laying so innocent like on the wooden surface. Bending forward, his nose almost touching the blue stone, Dumbledore used his magic sight to examine it closer. That sight had always been an aid to him when it came to seeing through invisibility cloaks and other such spells, and to his relief, it came to his aid at this time too.

"It would seem our mysterious exorciser bespelled this stone to do the work for him," Albus eventually said, picking the stone up gingerly, turning it over carefully. It should be perfectly harmless, but you never knew when dealing with unknown entities. "I have read that Druids used this method in the old days. They would bespell an object, and the one having troubles with ghosts would then take it home and place it at a place they knew the spirit would visit.

"The stone was often triggered by a key phrase to avoid accidentally sending friendly ghosts to the other side, or prevent harm to the living. I would dearly like to meet the one who did this. The rituals the Druids used are believed to have been lost in the mist of time."

Dumbledore fell silent as he lost himself in thought. Was it possible that there was someone out there with full knowledge of the Druids? Even if their knowledge was only partial... Albus got a dreamy look in his eyes. He could so easily imagine all the things, all the rituals they could use to put an end to this war. Why, it was even rumoured that the Druids knew of a way that could slow down a person's aging.

_If I can manage to lure this person away from Tom... I could be hailed as the next Merlin. I would go down in the history books as the greatest person ever! As is my right. After all, I am the defeater of two Dark Lords, and as soon as Riddle is disposed of permanently, I will also be considered as the bringer of peace to our world. _

_And if I'm really fortunate, I might not have to die at all! Why should Nicholas be the only one cheating death?_

"Do you need the students any further?" Severus asked irritably, effectively pulling Albus away from his musings.

Starting slightly, the Headmaster looked around the class room. Smiling benevolently he said, "No. Children you may go. Ah yes, I believe forty points to Hufflepuff is in order. Thank you for your co-operation, and thank you for keeping a level head and for getting word out as quickly as you did."

The students eagerly left, discussing amongst themselves the happenings of the morning. The professors watched them go.

Severus shook his head slightly. _This will be all over school before lunch, and I bet you a thousand Galleons that it will be all over the papers soon too. I'm starting to think that I should be grateful that Harry never retaliated to my unfair treatment beyond angry words. I shudder to think what that devious mind would have come up with. James was a baby compared to Harry. And considering the resources the boy has…_

Severus bit back a smile. He couldn't wait to see Dumbledore try to weasel his way out of this mess.

"Is there something you find amusing, Severus?" Minerva asked archly, telling Snape that he hadn't done a well enough job of hiding his amusement.

Severus tilted his head to the side and regarded McGonagall. "I was merely pondering…" he said, purposely baiting his former friend.

"On what!"

"Whether Binns has realised he is dead yet, or if he is _still_ trying to teach about those blasted Goblins he found so fascinating." Severus smiled serenely.

McGonagall harrumphed and turned away in a huff, but Flitwick shared an amused look with the Potions master.

"Now, now, my friends, we have more important things to attend to, wouldn't you say?" Albus interjected smoothly. "The only clue left seems to be this jewel. A sapphire if I'm not mistaken. I don't think it is a blue diamond, the colour is all wrong for that, not to mention that they are too rare and valuable for someone to use it in a mere prank. I will take it to my office to examine it closer. Why don't you head back to your classrooms, and I will fill you in on what I have found tonight?"

Not waiting for a reply, the aged Headmaster left the room with a spring in his step. He so loved a good mystery, and if the reward was getting his hands on a Druidic ritual or two, then he was doubly eager to get to the bottom of things.

The three professors left behind shared a look. Shrugging their shoulders, they too took one last look around, before walking off to prepare for their next lesson.

HPDM

Albus Dumbledore sank into his favourite chair in his private quarters, absentmindedly toying with the blue rock. Who could have set this up, and why would they do it? What could the purpose be with sending poor Binns over to the other side?

Albus doubted very much that Fudge had something to do with this. Although the man _did_ have access to a lot of resources… Not even Dumbledore knew for sure what knowledge was available to the Unspeakables. That lot sure was secretive, and Albus had been unable to find a way to gain their trust.

However, this plan lacked that certain something that Cornelius always brought into his plans. For one thing, there was no way the Minister of Magic would be able to capitalise on this, and Fudge never did anything unless it made him look good. Or, if he could somehow get a lot of money out of it.

So, if it wasn't the Minister, then who? Albus didn't really believe that it was Tom Riddle who was behind the recent disturbances. He had put the blame on Voldemort, but who better to make as scapegoat? If nothing else, it might help bring Harry back to where he belonged. Perhaps he should capitalise on the growing worry and invent a new adventure for Harry to get involved in.

Turning around, Albus focused on a large, gilded mirror hanging on a near wall. "Flamel's stone, the rescue," he said, and immediately the mirror sprang to life, showing the events from Harry's first year, starting when the trio entered the room where Fluffy was sleeping.

_Harry was such a delightful child,_ Albus thought wistfully. _I wonder what happened to him? What happened to turn him away from me so completely? What in the world did the Malfoy's promise him that I didn't provide?_

Silently, the aged wizard watched as the Golden Trio battled their way through the various traps, smiling proudly as they overcame yet another obstacle. _I wonder what Harry would think if he knew that that wasn't the real stone? As if Nicholas would ever allow the Philosopher's Stone out of his sight. He was quite right to be cautious too, I'm not so sure I would have been able to give it back if he truly had lent it to me,_ Albus thought with a wry smile.

The mirror grew black and Albus stared at it for a long time, lost in his thoughts. Who was the one causing mayhem at Hogwarts? And how was Albus supposed to stop him? And where was he supposed to find someone trustworthy to take up the mantle of History professor? It would have to be someone who didn't mind keeping the children ignorant of their own past.

Binns had been perfect to that end. The man had been so fascinated about the Goblins that he could drone on forever about them, putting anyone who heard him to sleep. Albus himself had often asked the ghost to talk to him when he had trouble with insomnia. Worked like a charm every time.

Besides, ignorance was perfect when creating sheep. The more a person knew, the more they tended to question their elders. And that was not something Dumbledore would allow, nor was he going to put up with it. Not even from Harry Potter.

And that brought his thoughts right back to Harry Potter.

Harry truly had been such a delightful child. The boy had been everything Albus had ever hoped for. Ignorant of the wizarding world, allowing the Headmaster to mould him as he saw fit. So eager to please, and showing no hesitation whatsoever when Dumbledore dangled the opportunity to become a hero before him. In fact, the boy had been only too eager to get involved in the different mysteries he had been presented over the years.

And Harry had never questioned him. Always going after whatever task Dumbledore set before him. Yes, Harry had been the perfect soldier. Obedient. Never asking the question why. Always bending his neck to those who were superior.

_Only, something has gone wrong. Harry no longer seeks me out. In fact, the brat is all but avoiding me. He _can't_ be upset about last year still. I explained everything to him and asked his forgiveness. Doesn't he understand how rare and precious that gift is? I never explain myself, and I sure as hell do not go around and apologise to people!_

Albus stroked his beard absentmindedly while silently fuming. If he didn't know better, he would guess that Harry was the one behind the strange events taking place. The boy sure had the power needed to animate the armours. The one flaw with that reasoning was that the child might have the power, but he lacked the knowledge. Considering that Granger currently resided in the stables…

No, Harry did not have the knowledge, but the Malfoys did. Considering how close Harry had become to Draco, was it truly so farfetched that the two Veelas had decided to help the youth? Not that Albus could see what they were hoping to gain by such actions, but it was far more believable than to think that Tom Riddle suddenly was hell-bent on disrupting the school.

Unfortunately, he lacked evidence. No matter how much he might want to, Albus couldn't just accuse the Malfoys for being the ones behind the sabotage. Lucius' reputation might be somewhat tarnished these days, but he still held a lout of clout with the Ministry. And considering that Albus and Cornelius did not see eye to eye these days, the Minister would be only too happy to assist the older Malfoy. Especially, if by doing so he could get back at the Headmaster.

Then there was the fact that the wards had not gone off. Merlin alone knew what types of Dark rituals and objects the Malfoys had access to. That family had not served the current Dark Lord for nothing. No, Albus had no problem envision Lucius instructing Harry in ways to animate inanimate objects. Come to think of it, Hogwarts taught a few such methods as well.

However, nothing in the school curriculum would have made the events of the past Mondays possible, and _if_ the Malfoys had used the Dark Arts, then the wards protecting the school would have gone off.

Wouldn't they?

Albus frowned, a sliver of doubt taking root in his mind. Those wards were still active, weren't they? True, he had tweaked them a tad during Harry's first year, but that was to make it easier for Riddle to enter the school without notice. Harry needed to learn what a danger Lord Voldemort posed to everyone, but how was he to learn that unless they did not meet face to face? But Albus had restored the wards afterward. Or so he thought. Perhaps it was time to look them over more thoroughly.

Yes, he would assign Minerva and Severus to that task. He himself had far more important things to do. Such as finding out who had setup that little surprise for Binns. Nodding his head happily, Dumbledore turned his attention back to the sapphire, determined to unlock its secrets.

HPDM

Draco slowly made his way into the Great Hall, biting back a laugh as he listened to the different discussions taking place around him. The news of Professor Binns disappearance had spread through the school like wildfire. Never before had news spread _that_ fast. And the theories behind the professor's departure grew more and more outrageous. There was nothing wrong with the student body's fantasy that was for sure.

_Hogwarts removing a troublesome professor? Heh, if that was true, then Severus would be in big trouble, _Draco thought with amusement. _But really, where do they come up with these ideas? Dead students coming back to take their revenge? The Goblins showing their displeasure with his teachings?_ _The four Founders using Binns' ghostly powers to come back to life? _Aliens from space! _What next? _

Draco shook his head in exasperation. _Humph, you'd think it was the end of the world they way some students are panicking. And why are the Muggleborns blabbering about the Apocalypse? They don't really believe things are that bad, do they? I guess I can see why Harry wanted a more harmless distraction so soon after Binns. It wouldn't do for the entire school to panic. After all, we don't want to close Hogwarts down; we just want to mess around with Dumbledore's head a little._

Sitting down at the Slytherin table, Draco ate a sturdy lunch. He might have agree to help Harry calm the masses, but he was not about to do it on an empty stomach. Around him the other snakes were discussing the History professor's fate, and Draco silently applauded their ingenuity. No one could accuse the Slytherins for being mundane and boring. And not even the Ravenclaws could beat them when it came to thinking up conspiracy theories.

Next to him, Harry was shaking with silent laughter and Draco had to tread on his foot more than once to keep him in check. It wouldn't do for them to raise suspicion at this point in the game, and Harry Potter crying from laughter would look a tad suspicious, especially to the Headmaster who seemed only too eager to find ways to force Harry back under his control.

Glancing at his goblet, Draco swallowed the last of his salad. "Behave yourself," he hissed, before picking the goblet up and drinking the content down. Fortunately, the potion inside was tasteless, but Draco still swore that he could feel it slink down his throat to land in his stomach with a thud. Ah well, it was for a good cause he supposed.

Just then the doors to the Great Hall opened, and Cornelius Fudge marched inside, followed by six grim-looking Aurors.

---------------------------------------------------------

**Next Time:**  
What prank is Draco participating in?  
How will Dumbledore explain things to Fudge?  
Yes, I am truly evil, lol.  
Until then…


	61. The Mayhem Continues

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter, and neither am I making any money on this.

* * *

**_The Mayhem Continues._**

**_Thursday, Sep. 19_**

Albus Dumbledore looked up as the door to the Great Hall was thrown open. Seeing who was entering, the Headmaster bit back an angry curse, plastered on his most benevolent expression and climbed to his feet. "Cornelius, to what do we owe this honour?" he asked, while silently wondering what reason was worse; the loss of a professor, or the casting of an Unforgivable.

But how in the world had the Minister found out? Binns sending had only happened this morning, and Albus thought he had managed to put a muzzle on both the students and the professors concerning Parkinson's unfortunate actions.

As if dragged by an invisible magnet, Dumbledore's eyes went to Harry Potter. The boy was sitting at the Slytherin table, looking just as surprised as anyone else. Still… could Harry have gone behind the Headmaster's back? Albus wouldn't have thought so. Everyone knew there was little love between the Golden Boy and the Minister of Magic.

Then again, Albus wouldn't have thought that Harry would have turned away from himself and side with the Malfoys either. He _really_ needed to find a way to bring that lot to heel. Perhaps he would go through with his threat to send young Malfoy away. If nothing else, it should teach the boys an important lesson in humility.

Cornelius was completely ignoring Dumbledore. He had turned towards the Slytherin table and he was scanning the students sitting there, making a face of distaste when his eyes landed on the Boy Who Lived. Not finding the one he was looking for, Fudge turned around and began scanning the Gryffindor table.

"Where is she? Where are you hiding the criminal?" Fudge asked in a strident voice.

"Criminal?" Albus asked, hiding a cringe. This was not good. "I assure you, Cornelius, there are no criminals present in this Hall," he said nevertheless, needing to minimize the damage as much as possible.

The Aurors had been looking around the room as well, alert for trouble of any kind. One of them respectfully tapped his employer on the shoulder and pointed to the solitary table in the back.

"No? What do you call that?" Cornelius asked in triumph. "Aurors, arrest that girl," he said imperiously, pointing directly at Pansy Parkinson.

The girl in question flew to her feet, shrieking shrilly, "Hey! I'm not a girl! And I'm not Pansy either," she added as an afterthought.

Fudge made a scornful face. "Then what are you, if you are not a girl?" he asked, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

Pansy blushed hotly, glaring at the other students who were snickering at her dilemma. "I'm a boy!" she snarled, only to cringe back slightly as she remembered who she was talking to.

Fudge stared at the girl for a moment, then he gestured for one of his guards to come closer, and the two began to whisper hurriedly.

"I can assure you that Miss Parkinson is not harbouring under any delusions," Albus said, coming down to stand next to the Minister. "Why don't we head to my office and I will explain everything." Dumbledore smiled pleasantly. "I fear Miss Parkinson and Mr Weasley have been targeted with a harmless prank."

"Is that why you have broken tradition and are forcing them to sit on their own?" Fudge asked suspiciously.

"Ah, yes. Since Miss Parkinson in reality is Mr Weasley, the Gryffindors were uncomfortable allowing someone who looked like a Slytherin to sit at their table. The Slytherins feel the same way. For the sake of peace, the teachers and I decided to allow the two of them to have a table of their own where their friends can join them without fears of being spied upon. I fear the rivalry between the Slytherins and the Gryffindors are as strong as ever," Albus said with a small chuckle.

Fudge turned and gave the Headmaster a stern look. "And why haven't those two children been returned to their rightful form? And why wasn't I informed that one of them performed an Unforgivable on a fellow student?" he asked, arching an eyebrow pointedly. "What kind of school are you running here, Dumbledore?"

"I can assure you, Cornelius, that everything is under control," Albus said soothingly. "Severus is brewing an antidote for the potion used in the prank as we speak, and--"

Whatever the Headmaster was going to say was drowned out by the war cry coming from the Slytherin side of the hall. As one everyone turned to look, and then they all reflexively ducked as a flock of falcons swooped over their heads.

"Albus Dumbledore, _what_ is the meaning of this!" Fudge shouted, before cursing angrily as one of the falcons stole his hat.

Albus could only stand there and blink dumbly as the birds swooped around the air, apparently playing an impromptu game of Quidditch with the Minister's hat as the Quaffle.

For a moment everyone was silent. Then the Slytherin table broke out into cheers as one of the falcons stole the hat from the others and made a mad dash around the room, the other six birds in hot pursuit.

Turning towards the unruly House, Dumbledore for the first time noted that several students were missing. Seven to be exact. In other words, the entire Slytherin Quidditch team. Draco Malfoy included. Groaning softly, the Headmaster turned back to look at the falcons in time to see three of them in a game of tug-of-war. The sound of the bowler being ripped apart was surprisingly loud in the suddenly silent Hall.

Glancing over at Fudge, Albus was not surprised to see the Minister turning an alarmingly shade of purple.

"Albus Dumbledore, I demand an explanation for this appalling event!" Fudge hissed, looking as if he was having a stroke.

Truly fearing for the man's health, Dumbledore glanced up at the Head Table, signalling for the school nurse to join them.

"I'm sorry, Cornelius, but I have no idea who might be behind this prank. I apologise on the behalf of the school for your loss of head garment, and I am certain the students will apologise the moment they are back to normal again," Albus said soothingly, while shooting daggers at both the Gryffindor table and at Ronald Weasley. Of all the times for them to retaliate! At least this prank was harmless in nature.

"Minister, you need to calm down!" Poppy said urgently, looking over the results of her scans. "Severus! Do you have a calming potion on you? The Minister is going into a fit!" Poppy shouted, before frantically starting to cast different Healing spells.

Severus, who had been sitting next to Lucius and taking quiet delight in the happenings, immediately became businesslike and he joined the nurse in her efforts to save Fudge's life. Snape might wish the man to Jericho, and he would cheer the day the man was finally booted out of office, but he did not wish to see the incompetent fool dead. At least, not because the results of a prank he had helped the boys to set up, worrying what the guilt would do to the already too heavily burdened Elf.

Draco, who had been the one to snatch the Minister's bowler, dropped the offending thing and flew over to Harry, landing smoothly on his mate's arm. Mindful of his sharp claws, the blond made his way up to Harry's shoulder and he settled in to observe the events unfolding so unexpectedly.

Harry watched with wide eyes as Pomfrey and Severus worked to save Fudge's life. Automatically, he reached up and began to stroke the soft feathers of the falcon's chest, taking comfort from the weight of the small body and the soft crooning coming from Draco. Bird or man, the blond always knew just what to do to comfort him.

"There, he is stable, but I would feel better if he was taken to St. Mungo's and examined by one of their Healers. It has been a long time since I dealt with this kind of problems," Poppy said, wiping her forehead with a sleeve.

"We will take care of him," Proudfoot, the leaders of the Aurors, said, patting the nurse on her shoulder in thanks. "The wizarding world owes you a dept, Madam, and I for one will make sure you are nominated for a medal. Dawlish, Savage, Shacklebolt, you three will remain here and get to the bottom of the allegations that one of the students cast an Unforgivable. The rest of us will escort the Minister to St. Mungo's. Call me if you find yourself in the need of assistance," Proudfoot ordered, before herding his charge towards the door.

HPDM

The Great Hall watched in silence as the Aurors led the subdued Minister of Magic outside. Once the door fell shut behind the group, the room exploded in noise as everyone commented on what had happened.

The three Aurors that had been left behind shared a look; this was not what they had been expecting. After some silent conferring, Dawlish took a step forward. "Right then, let us start with the birds. Where did they come from? Are they someone's pet? That bird over there look right tame to me," Dawlish said, pointing at Draco.

Draco bristled, he was no pet! Screeching in anger, he launched himself into the air. Flying over the nearest table, Draco grabbed an apple, which he dropped with great accuracy on the head of the overbearing Auror. No one, but no one, called Draco Malfoy a _pet_.

Seeing this, the other falcons joined in, and it didn't take long before the poor Auror had to plead for mercy, while running for the safety of the hallway.

"That is enough," Lucius said, when it was apparent that Dawlish regretted his hastily spoken words. Immediately, the birds landed on various perches and began to preen their feathers, clearly very pleased with their actions.

Draco returned to Harry, who held out his arm once more for Draco to land upon. Crooning much as he would have done if talking to Hedwig, Harry praised the bird while stroking his feathers gently, looking for and finding the spot to scratch.

Draco preened under the attention, and both Lucius and Severus found themselves biting back snorts of laughter. The scene was just too cute.

"Ahem," Kingsley said, fighting back his own laughter. "It is clear that these birds are no pets. However, they clearly are not wild either, so where did they come from?" he asked, looking around the wildly gossiping room, wondering how they were supposed to get back control now.

"It would seem that someone amused themselves with pranking the Slytherin Quidditch team," Severus said drolly, shooting a nasty look at Ronald Weasley.

"Hey! I didn't do anything!" the youth denied vehemently, only succeeding in making himself sound guiltier.

Dumbledore sighed and wished for a headache potion. "I take it that no one noted anything stranger or out of the ordinary?" he asked tiredly, giving Harry a questioning look.

Harry shook his head. "I never noted anything different, and if Draco did he never mentioned it," Harry replied, the picture of innocence and concern. "He will be alright, won't he? You will be able to cure him, won't you?" Harry asked, looking at Severus with wide and worried eyes.

"I am sure that Mr. Malfoy and the others will be returned to normal within a day or two," Severus said reassuringly, suddenly hit with the surrealism of the situation. Who would have thought that he of all people would be soothing the fears of Harry Potter? Especially since the brat knew very well that the boy in question would be back to normal within six hours.

Draco chose that moment to coo softly and nibble on Harry's fingers.

Why don't you stay where you are, Mr Malfoy, that is Mr Malfoy, isn't it?" Pomfrey belatedly asked Harry.

Draco made an angry sound. As if he would ever allow any of the others be that intimate with _his _mate.

Poppy's lips twitched, but she never faltered in her professional persona. "Right then, this won't hurt a bit," Poppy said reassuringly, before starting to cast diagnostic spells.

Severus came to stand next to her, scowling darkly and pretending to take an interest in her findings. Draco was one of his favourite students, not to mention that the boy was his godson. Dumbledore might not think much of it, but the other Slytherins would find it strange if he did not demand actions to be taken immediately to rectify the situation Draco had fallen into. And right now, they could not afford to behave outside the norm. Too much was at stake.

"Well?" Lucius asked with a drawl, coming to stand next to Severus. The day had taken a most unexpected turn, and Lucius' analytic mind was busy scanning every angles of this new and thorny situation. It wouldn't surprise him to find out that Lord Voldemort was the one who had sent the Minister running to the school. The Dark Lord had not been pleased finding out that someone other than himself had cursed the Boy Who Lived.

The question was, which actions would be for the best? Should Lucius move forward and push to have Fudge dismissed from the office? And should he do so silently or publicly? Or should he just stand back and see in what direction the cards would fall? However, that action did not sit well with the Slytherin; there were far too many unknowns with that option. And most importantly of all, what in Salazar's name had caused the Minister to throw a fit in the first place? It wasn't uncommon for the little man to lose his control at least once a day. What made today different?

Answers, he needed answers, and hopefully his contacts at St. Mungo's would be able to provide him with a few. But first he needed to make sure that Draco didn't suffer any ill effects from the potion he had willingly ingested.

HPDM

"Gentlemen, perhaps you could tell me the reason behind this unexpected visit?" Dumbledore said, looking over at the Aurors. The quartet had withdrawn to the Headmaster's office, and Albus was trying to figure out a way to contain the situation. The last thing he needed was for a lot of outsiders to poke their noses where they did not belong. Unfortunately, only Kingsley Shacklebolt was likely to back the Headmaster; the other two was Ministry personnel, and Albus knew that he could not rely on them to keep things quiet.

The three Aurors shared a glance, and then Dawlish spoke up. "The Minister got a letter this morning that claimed that one of the students had cast one of the Unforgivables at another student. Naturally, he grew concerned, and he gathered a group of high ranking Aurors and went to investigate the truth of this claim.

"The Minister has also received several letters about other disturbances taking place at Hogwarts. Something about singing suits of armours? And suits of armours attacking anything moving?" Dawlish gave the Headmaster a questioning look.

Dumbledore bit back a groan. This was just the type of situation he had hoped to avoid. Putting on his best face, Albus went about to do some damage control. "For the past two Mondays someone's been playing a prank on the school. It was a bit annoying, not to mention somewhat distracting, but I can assure you that no one was hurt. Yes, a few of the suits of armours decorating the hallways were indeed animated, but the spell only lasted a few hours and order was restored relatively quickly. As you can see, there was no harm done. It certainly does not merit a full investigation by the Aurors." Albus smiled benevolently at the three men. "I am certain that you gentlemen have far more important businesses to deal with than a schoolboy prank."

Dawlish frowned, not at all pleased with the Headmaster's reply. "A schoolboy prank? The letters laid claim that it was You Know Who who was the initiator, and what about the events that took place today? Several students were turned into falcons, greatly disturbing the peace, I might add. How can you be so sure there isn't a darker plot aimed towards the children? These are dark times we are facing, Headmaster, and the safety of our children is given priority. How can you be sure that further down the road no one will be poisoned? Or outright killed?" he demanded, giving Dumbledore an intense look.

"Come now, Dawlish, no one thinks that You Know Who is somehow infiltrating the school," Kingsley said soothingly, and Albus could have kissed the man for coming to his aid.

"What about the Unforgivable? Are you going to discard that as a prank too? Just what is going on at this school? Have you already forgotten that unfortunate business with Dolores Umbridge that took place last year?" Dawlish snapped, glaring hotly at Shacklebolt.

"Calm down, old son, we are here to investigate, not to throw accusations about," Savage drawled. "Headmaster, when the armours were animated, what actions did you take?"

Dumbledore fought back a blush. "Since most of my staff was in their classrooms with their students, it was decided that they should stay there until the hallways was declared safe. At the time, we did not know whether the armours would hurt anyone, of if it was all scare tactics.

"I, of course, went to investigate, and I examined carefully the armours I came across. Unfortunately, whoever was behind the prank had hid their tracks well, and neither I nor my professors ever managed to find out who it was that cast the spells." Albus decided that these men did not need to know just how utterly he had failed at stopping the armours, or that he had had to hide out in a deserted classroom until the spell had run its course.

Savage gave Dumbledore a suspicious look. "The letters all stated that you put the blame on You Know Who."

Albus sighed, when he found out who it was that had run to the Ministry he would make their life absolutely miserable. "I _hinted _that Voldemort might be the one behind the prank, but I also strongly urged whoever behind the prank to confess to either me or one of the teachers. I merely wished to impose the seriousness of the situation on the pranker, to make them realise that they should find another way to show off their sense of humour."

"And not once did you consider sending for outside help?" Dawlish asked, looking down his nose at the Headmaster.

Albus bit back a sarcastic remark. How dare they question him as if he was a commoner? "As I said, I was pretty sure that the whole thing was just a schoolboy prank. There were no traces of Dark magic whatsoever, and considering that this school employ some of the best people in Britain, I saw no reason to turn to the Ministry for help," Albus said smoothly.

Savage and Dawlish both snorted, while Shacklebolt remained silent and in the background.

"And the Unforgivable? Are you claiming that that was a schoolboy prank as well?" Dawlish asked somewhat snidely.

"Of course not," Albus said, sounding shocked at the mere idea. Sinking back into his chair, Dumbledore sighed deeply and shook his head while putting on a sad face. "I am most ashamed to admit that yes, one of my students did cast an Unforgivable at another student. However," he held up a hand to stem the angry retorts bursting forth from two of the Aurors. "However, there were external forces at work that day."

"Are you telling me that the student casting the curse was possessed?" Savage asked, incredible.

"No, not exactly," Albus hedged carefully.

"Then what exactly is it you are saying?" Dawlish ground out through clenched teeth.

"I am saying that Pansy Parkinson had earlier in the day been subjected to a prank. Unfortunately, one of the effects of said prank was a lowering of her inhibitions."

Savage and Dawlish both gave the Headmaster an incredulous look. "So what you are saying is that the girl threw a tantrum, and just decided to add one of the Unforgivables for the hell of it?"

"I am not condoning the use of the Cruciatus Curse," Albus said with forced calm. "However, the Parkinsons are a known Dark family, and I fear that young Pansy has not had the best of childhoods. I can not in good conscience demand the expulsion of the child since that would only send her right back to her family, and ultimately, to You Know Who. If I can save but one child from that fate… Is it really too much to look the other way and use compassion? Especially, since it wasn't entirely her fault that her mental controls snapped?" Dumbledore looked at the three men, carefully gauging the effect his words had had on the Aurors.

"The decision was not yours to make," Savage said stiffly. "With a matter this grave you should at least have called in the School Governors. You hold a lot of power as Headmaster of this school, Professor Dumbledore, but you are not omnipotent. Since you chose not to report this incident, we cannot help but wonder what other events you have chosen to not report to the proper authorities. I see no other option but to call in an approved Healer from St. Mungo's and have them examine both the girl and her victim to ensure that one, there was no lasting damage done to the victim. And two, ensure that the girl truly was influenced by the prank the way you claim.

"If the Healer find no such evidence, or they find lasting damage done to the victim, then I fear we will have no other options but to take the girl into custody and do a more thorough investigation," Savage said, looking very grave.

"While it is recommendable that you wish to save a student from a dark fate, we still have to consider all the other student present at the school. How do you know that this was the first time this has happened? How do you know that she hasn't done other just as dark deeds?" Dawlish demanded to know.

"Gentlemen, I can assure you that Hogwarts is one of the safest placed in Britain," Dumbledore said stiffly, not about to allow the Aurors to cast such slurs at his bellowed school.

"Humph, that is debatable," Savage snorted. "Considering the events of past years, I for one find myself seriously questioning that statement."

"Don't you think that is a bit harsh?" Albus asked, glowering slightly at the impertinent Auror.

Savage merely arched an eyebrow. "A basilisk running wild around the school, petrifying students and ghosts alike? Sirius Black finding his way onto the school ground? A professor was torturing her own students and no one noted a thing? Come now, Headmaster, surely you can see our reasons to feel concern."

Albus merely inclined his head slightly, finding himself unable to refute the claims. Thankfully, the Aurors did not know of all the events that had taken place the past few years, or they would be even more insistent in digging their noses into matters that did not concern them. He was also extremely thankful that no one realised the full breach of security that had taken place this year alone. Especially, since the Headmaster still hadn't managed to figure out how the intruder had managed to sneak into his office. For that matter, he still hadn't a clue as to who the blasted intruder _was_. The Headmaster's office was supposed to be the one most secure place in the entire school. It was disturbing to know that someone was able to sneak by all the safety measures so easily.

Just then a knock was heard and Dumbledore bit back a sigh before calling for the knocker to enter.

"Albus, I apologise for disturbing you, but I thought you would like to know that the falcons should all be back to normal by tonight," Poppy said, entering the office only enough for the door to fall shut behind her.

"Good, good, that is excellent news, Poppy," Albus said with a happy smile. Finally, something was going right.

"I would also like to examine the fourth year Hufflepuffs," Pomfrey blithely went on, thus effectively ruining the Headmaster's good mood.

"I believe we should discuss that matter at a later date," Albus swiftly said, sending his nurse a quelling look, desperate to keeping the lid on _that_ can of worms.

Savage gave the Headmaster a contemplating look, before turning around and subjecting the nurse to such a look as well. "Pray tell, why do you feel the need to examine the fourth year Hufflepuffs?" he asked with mild curiosity.

Ignoring Albus' subtle attempts to silence her, Poppy looked Savage right in the eyes. "Because they were present at an unknown ritual that sent Professor Binns to the other side," she said matter-of-factly. "Though most such rituals are harmless to the living, I still would feel better if I was allowed to take a look at them, just to make sure."

"I see," Savage said slowly, turning his head slightly to give Dumbledore a reassessing look. Focusing back on Pomfrey, the Auror asked, "What of the students that were involved in the Cruciatus incident?"

"What of them?" Poppy asked, a blank look on her face.

"I have heard the Headmaster's explanations as to how the incident could occur. I was merely wondering if your own results refuted or supported Professor Dumbledore's claims."

"I wouldn't know," Poppy said blandly, completely ignoring the Headmaster and his dark scowl.

"How can you not know?" Kingsley wanted to know.

Poppy gave her fellow Order member a tight smile. "Because nothing of my initial scan showed any inclination of her going off on the deep end like that. As for Mr Potter, I haven't been able to examine him at all. Draco Malfoy whisked him away from the Great Hall before I could get to him, and Mr Potter has not been to see me since. Not that he would. That boy has landed himself in the infirmary so many times that he would rather lose an arm than come to see me. He hates that place with a passion. Not that I can completely blame him. We do try to make the hospital wing as uninviting as possibly; to discourage all thoughts of cutting class by claiming illness you understand," she felt compelled to add.

The three Aurors shared a smile. Yes, they had all considered that option a time or two during their own schooldays. However, the knowledge that they would be stuck in the infirmary with the dragon lady with nothing to do but swallow nasty tasting potions had put a damper on those plans.

The Aurors soon grew sombre again. "So you have no idea how badly affected young Mr Potter was by the curse?"

"No," Poppy was forced to admit.

"Hmm, we all know how protective Veelas are of their mates. Still, I think we all agree that it would be best if a qualified Healer took a look at Mr Potter. And at all the other students who have been involved in these unfortunate events," Dawlish said musingly.

"That reminds me. What is this I hear about a ritual sending one of the Hogwarts' ghosts? How come you haven't mentioned that event during our talk, Headmaster? Or are you going to try to explain that event off as a 'schoolboy prank' as well?" Savage asked, giving Dumbledore a pointed look.

Albus was beginning to lose his temper. How dare these people question him like this? As if he was a lowly employee and not the esteemed Headmaster that he was. Ministry employees or not, he was not going to put up with this!

"I was working on finding out what had happened when Cornelius arrived during lunch. I have been unable to do any further work on the mystery since my time has been otherwise occupied," Dumbledore said sweetly. "Furthermore, I am not in the habit of crying wolf. Neither am I in the habit of throwing around wild accusations. I was working on finding out what had been done and by whom. Once I had those results, _then_ I was going to take proper actions.

"I am Headmaster of this school, but I am also a seasoned warrior for the Light. I am well capable of solving such a mystery as this one, especially considering the resources I have access to here. I do not appreciate being questioned in the manner that you have done here today, gentlemen. I do not take my reputation lightly, and neither should you.

"You may call in your Healer, but only if you can guarantee that they will be discreet. The last thing Mr Potter needs at the moment is more bad press. But know this, I am _only_ allowing this breach of security so that you may assure yourself that I indeed do know what I am doing. If that is all?" Albus asked pointedly, whishing the Aurors off the school ground as soon as possible.

Dawlish and Savage both looked highly unimpressed. "We shall confer with our superior," Dawlish said, getting out of his seat. "Headmaster or not, I would expect a thorough investigation to be launched within the next few days. Good day, Professor."

The three Aurors flooed back to the Ministry, using the fireplace in the Headmaster's office.

Once they were gone, Albus rounded on the nurse. "Was it really necessary to bring up the matter of Binns in front of them, Poppy? I was trying to keep things low-key until we knew for certain what we were dealing with," Dumbledore said reprovingly. "And why did you not back me on the issue of Pansy Parkinson? Do you _wish_ for the girl to become a Death Eater?"

"Psh, the girl made her own bed and should be made to lie in it. That potion did not do what you claim it did, and you know it, Albus. I don't know why you are determined to punish Harry Potter, but I will not stand back and put the rest of the school at risk. Did you even consider what kind of message you are sending the other children by not punishing such a severe transgression? Nothing good will come out of this, mark my words. The other professors might be willing to stand back and do nothing, but I am no such coward," Poppy declared proudly.

Dumbledore looked at her gravely. "I would be careful from now on if I were you, Poppy. You are a skilled nurse, but you are not replaceable. Defy me again, and I will happily give terminate your employment at this school."

Pomfrey merely straightened her already ramrod straight back. "You do that, Albus. At least _my_ conscience will be clean. Can you say the same of yours?" And with that the nurse turned on her heel and marched out of the office, leaving a fuming Headmaster behind.

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**A/N:** Sorry that the chapter is a bit short, but I'm bedridden at the moment and wasn't able to finish. I dare not guarantee an update next Monday. I promise to upload as swiftly as I can though. 

Janara


	62. A Harry Sized Headache

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter is not mine.

**A/N:** A gigantic thank you to everyone who has written me, showing their concern. I haven't got words to tell you how much it meant to me. (And since I'm an author… ;) Here is part of the next chapter, enjoy.

* * *

**_A Harry Sized Headache_**

**_Thursday, Sep. 19_**

"My, my, my, what have you two been up to?" Ginny asked, taking in Harry's windblown looks and the happy grin on his face as he slid into a seat opposite her at the Gryffindor table, Draco still on his shoulder in his bird form.

Harry gave her a saucy wink. "Why, nothing much. I just took my boyfriend flying," he replied easily, surveying the food spread out before him, trying to decide what he was in the mood for.

"Flying? Are you telling me that you manage to sneak out of the hospital wing? From right under Madam Pomfrey's nose? How in Merlin's name did you manage to do that?!" Ginny asked, astonished.

Harry gave her a confused look, then he chuckled. "We didn't have to sneak out, Ginny, we just walked out. To tell you the truth, the hardest part was convincing Lucius to come flying with us." Harry shook his head at the memory. Why someone so graceful on a broom had been so adamant against going flying was beyond him.

"You just walked out? Harry James Potter, what in the world did you do to the Dragon Lady? She _never_ allows her patients to just walk out and well you know it!" Ginny said in some exasperation.

Harry gave her a confused look, but then his face cleared. Turning slightly to the impatient bird who was shifting restlessly from foot to foot he asked, "Is lamb chops okay with you, or would you rather have-"

Draco nipped his mate gently on the ear, and Harry nodded once before reaching for the lamb, piling some onto a plate for the Veela. Draco swiftly and gracefully jumped down onto the table and began to eat hungrily, making those around him a bit nauseous at the way he was ripping into the meat.

Harry wasn't faced in the least as he piled some onto his own plate, along with some wild rice and broccoli. Glancing up at the fuming redhead, he grinned and decided to start explaining before he was subjected to her famous Bat-Bogey Hex. "Pomfrey kicked us all out."

Ginny gaped at him. "She did what?"

Harry shrugged lightly, filling his goblet with pumpkin juice, not lifting an eyebrow as Draco hopped over to it and drank his fill before going back to tearing up another lamb chop, his sharp claws and beak making the task easy. "She kicked us all out."

"Harry," Ginny groaned in annoyance, not appreciating his odd sense of humour at the moment. Honestly, getting information out of the brunet was sometimes as difficult as pulling teeth off a hen!

Harry chuckled and relented. "After Pomfrey had checked all the falcons out, pronouncing them healthy and fit, she was about to tell them to find a perch and take things easy until the potion had run its course, or until Professor Snape had made the antidote. However, some of the birds figured that what could be done in the Great Hall could be done in the infirmary as well, and they started a mock skirmish or something. I'm not that skilled at bird language," Harry added with another chuckle. "Pomfrey was not amused, so she kicked us all out, even the birds, stating that they could rest and recuperate just as well in the Slytherin common room, giving everyone stern orders to make sure they weren't that far above ground unless they wanted to break their fool neck."

Harry grinned at the memory of the flustered nurse as half of the Quidditch team began flying around, attempting to have a pillow fight. There wasn't much of a fight, since the pillows turned out to be much too heavy. However, since the sharp claws penetrated and tore up the fabric, feathers still flew through the air, and the birds found much amusement in making as many feathers fly as possible.

"And yet you took Draco flying? Wasn't that dangerous?" Ginny wanted to know, giving the falcon a concerned look.

"Nah, according from what Professor Snape said, there should be a tingling sensation as the potion wears off, giving the transformed person plenty of time to land on solid ground. Besides, why do you think I pestered Lucius Malfoy into coming with us?" Harry asked, finally getting to start eating his meal.

"But still…" Ginny said, looking uncertain, causing Harry to snort in annoyance. "I knew what I was doing. Lucius was there to help me make sure that nothing bad happened. I love Draco, Ginny, and I would never knowingly put him in danger. It is nice to know that you think so little of me," he added harshly, pushing away from the table and storming off, his meal practically untouched.

Draco gave the girl an angry look before launching himself into the air with an angry screech, making a swipe at her head with his wing as he flew past her. Landing easily on his mate's shoulder, the falcon cooed softly, pulling gently on a strand of hair. Pausing in the doorway, Harry glanced back into the room and plastered a smile on his face with some difficulty. Rising his voice he called out, "Before I forget, I have completed sorting you lot into the different D.A. groups. The lists should be posted in your common rooms as we speak. The first meeting will be on Tuesday night, I'm looking forward to seeing you then." Nodding his head once, Harry turned away and continued his trek, fighting hard to keep his temper in check.

Left behind at the Gryffindor table, a stricken looking Ginny was left to look contemplatingly at the untouched plate of food, wondering how things had fallen apart so quickly.

HPDM

"How is it that everyone thinks I am nothing but a reckless fool who gets everyone hurt?" Harry asked angrily once he was safely inside their suite. "I mean, I know that heading over to the Ministry last spring wasn't my brightest idea, but do they really think that little of me?" Harry wondered out loud, wishing that Draco was back to normal already so he could have a hug. He _really_ needed a hug right now.

Just then two strong arms wrapped around him, causing Harry to jump and whirl around, magic gathering in his right hand, ready to blast whoever it was to smithereens. Instead he looked into concerned silvery eyes, and Harry whispered, stunned, "Draco? But… How…?"

"I'm guessing your wandless magic acted on your wish. You did wish I could hug you, didn't you?" Draco asked softly, pulling his mate closer, wrapping him up in a loving embrace.

"Yeah, I did. Am I really that bad a friend? Am-"

"No!" Draco protested harshly, tightening his arms around his hurting Elf. "No, Harry, you are not bad, or inconsiderate, and you are most definitely not dangerous!" he all but snarled. "I don't know what that hussy was thinking, accusing you like that. Trust me, love, she was so far from right she might as well have been on the far side of the _moon_, she was so wrong."

Harry chuckled weakly, relaxing into his mate's arms, allowing the blond to take most of his weight, knowing without a doubt that the blond was capable of taking it. "Thanks love, I needed to hear that I guess."

"Your welcome, beautiful. Besides, that's what I'm here for," Draco added with a teasing smile.

Harry snorted and lifted his head slightly so he could look into mischievous silver eyes. "What? Telling me how wrong I am?"

"That too," Draco admitted with a straight face. "Otherwise I was more thinking in the line of telling you how wrong everyone else is."

Harry smiled at him, giving Draco a sweet kiss before resting his head on a handy shoulder once more. "Thanks, that's mighty kind of you."

"Harry James Potter, soon to be Malfoy, I am not kind!" Draco drawled haughtily, a pleased smile playing on his lips as his words had the desired affect, making his mate chuckle, albeit weakly. "I am a Malfoy, and Malfoys are not kind. Or nice for that matter. We are ruthless, fearsome, terrifying-"

"Unless you are family, because then Malfoys are tender-hearted, unbelievably sweet, supportive, and yes, kind and nice too," Harry stated matter-of-factly, breaking into Draco's speech with little qualms.

Draco sniffed. "You better not spread such stories around the school, because, mate of mine or not, I will not have you tarnish my family name by spreading vicious tales like that," he said, putting his nose in the air.

Harry gave him a startled look, not sure he had heard the blond correctly. Taking in Draco's pose, Harry snorted in amusement, and then he was howling with laughter.

Draco merely tightened his hold on his mate, not caring that the laughter had an overtone of hysteria. He was well aware of how difficult it was for the Elf to return to Hogwarts. The Headmaster's actions didn't exactly help matters much, and the Veela was determined to help his mate in any way he could, even if it had him dropping his guard and acting like a jester. Considering his mate's welfare, that was a small price to pay, and well worth the indignity and loss of pride. Besides, Draco knew that Harry would do the same for him if the need arouse.

Ordering his mind to shut up and take a walk, Draco helped his tired mate to the bedroom for a lie down before Lucius and Severus joined them for a war council. Tomorrow was the big day, and they had a lot to plan before then.

HPDM

Lucius felt his eyebrows climb upward as he entered the boy's suite only to find the sitting room empty. He had expected to see Harry sitting reading, or possibly doing homework, with Draco perching on a piece of furniture. "Harry?" he called, walking further into the room. Giving the trunk sitting along the wall an uneasy glance, he was relieved to hear a voice calling to him from Potter's bedroom.

"There you are… Draco?" Lucius asked, taking in the unexpected sight on the bed. Harry was curled up around his son, who was most definitely in his human form. The Elf had his head resting on top of Draco's heart, and the Veela was carding his fingers through his mate's lustrous hair. Glancing over to where Severus was standing, the older Malfoy commented, "I thought the potion wasn't supposed to wear off for another hour or so?"

"I needed a hug," Harry said quietly, not looking at any of them, and a faint blush tainted his cheeks.

"What happened at dinner? What is it with the Weasley family these days? Are none of them capable of allowing you to be happy?" Severus asked with a slight snarl, stepping over to the bed and sitting down at the foot, leaning back against the bedpost, looking his godson over, wanting to make sure that the forced transformation hadn't caused any problems.

"It isn't completely Ginny's fault I blew up. I guess I overreacted a little," Harry admitted sheepishly. "But she made it sound as if I had been reckless, thoughtlessly putting my mate in danger. I didn't! Severus told everyone that the potion would last for at least a day or two, so it wasn't as if the thing would wear off after five minutes," Harry complained, starting to get angry again. "Besides, Lucius was with us. It wasn't as if Draco and I sneaked off to goof off in secret."

"Hush, love, you did nothing wrong," Draco murmured soothingly, wanting to keep his mate in his current mellow state. There hadn't been much opportunity for cuddling in the past months, and Draco was determined to use every opportunity he got to make up for lost time.

"I know, but no matter what I do, people are always scolding me for something or other," Harry said with a tired sigh. "Why is it that the only time I get praised is after I have risked my life rescuing something or someone that shouldn't have been in danger in the first place? Mrs. Weasley praised Ron for his O.W.L score; the teachers have been praising Hermione for her grades since first day. When did I get any praise? When I won that first Quidditch game; a game I had no business being a part of. I just don't get it. Why are people only happy when I play the hero? And yet, every time there is an argument, I get that fact thrown in my face as proof of how immature and reckless I am. What is it people _want _from me?!"

Lucius shared a sad look with Severus, knowing only too well the truth in those words. Draco was hugging his mate tight, rocking them both slightly in his attempt to calm his distraught Elf down.

"Harry, it is true that you have been done a great disservice," Severus said slowly, choosing his words carefully, almost tasting them on his tongue before uttering them. "The Headmaster in his eagerness to test your capability to fight the Dark Lord has done everything within his powers to ensure that you got involved in the events of the past five years, not caring that you were a mere child and had no business getting mixed up in those 'adventures'.

"Your fellow teachers, I am sad to say, have been too happy to turn a blind eye. I suppose they too needed the Boy Who Lived too much to allow themselves to see Harry Potter. I too am guilty of not seeing you for who you were; I only saw what I wanted to see, the arrogance of James, and not the insecurities of Harry."

"It's okay, Severus, I understand," Harry said softly, not wanting to force the proud man to apologise for past mistakes. Harry wasn't exactly guiltless either in his misinterpretations of the Potions master.

"As for why everyone feel they can scold you… I guess the people of our world see you as their property. You are after all the Boy Who Lived; the Saviour," Severus stated dryly, attempting to infuse some levity into the conversation. Both Draco and Harry rewarded his attempts with a snort of disdain.

"Then there is also the fact that you are an orphan," Severus went on, wanting to finish unexpected heart to heart so they could get back to business. He really wanted to know how in Salazar's name the brat had managed to force Binns to move on. "Since you have no parents, and no clear-cut guardian, the Dursleys does not count since they are Muggles – and pathetic ones at that – no one is able to step in to speak up for you. Giving free room for every busybody who feels the need to make sure you grow up into a fine, upstanding citizen of our world."

Harry considered what Snape had just said. It actually made a lot of sense. Ron had his parents who stepped in every time they felt their children were getting out of line. Mrs. Weasley's Howlers were getting legendary at Hogwarts after the number of them she'd sent to the twins, forever scolding them over one infraction or other.

But Mrs. Weasley was also there for her children when they had faced some horror or other, the sight of the woman hugging Ginny to her chest almost desperately after the fiasco of the Chamber coming to Harry's mind. Yes, the woman tended to coddle her children, most of the time going to ridiculous lengths to keep them protected and safe. But who was doing that for him?

Sirius had been in prison, wrongly accused. And once he was freed from that hellhole, he had been on the run, unable to be there for Harry when he needed his help and guidance. Not that anyone had allowed him to give his godson that help and guidance when they finally got to spend some time together.

He hadn't thought much of it at the time, he had been too sullen and angry at being kept in the dark, but the one who had been most rabid about keeping him in that dark was Mrs. Weasley. Every time Sirius as much as hinted at telling Harry what was going on, the woman would start rebuke him, citing the orders from Dumbledore to tell Harry nothing. Even Remus had been siding with the Weasley matriarch, and had not supported his friend, ultimately betraying Harry as well. Because, ultimately it came down to the fact that if Harry had known what was going on, had realised what was at stake, he would have done a lot of things differently. Ironically enough, Sirius had been the only one willing to tell him. In the end, he had been silenced by the others in the Order, and for some reason his godfather had buckled under the pressure and had kept silent. Ending up losing his very life due to that very silence everyone insisted on. And who was paying for that now? Not Mrs. Weasley that was for sure!

"Harry?" Lucius asked, coming to sit on the other side of the bed, reaching out and placing a hand on the youth's shoulder.

"I'm fine, just thinking. Remembering actually," Harry murmured, still lost in his thoughts. "Do you remember last summer, Professor? The summer after the Triwizard tournament, I mean. Sirius wanted to tell me at least some of what was going on, arguing that it was only right since it was my life, not to mention that it was me that was in danger. Do you remember how everyone reacted to that? Mrs. Weasley went ballistic, throwing Azkaban into his face, making it sound as if it was his fault he ended up there. Even Remus sided on Dumbledore's side, telling Sirius off for acting like my godfather. Why did he do that?" Harry asked, glancing up at the Potions master.

"I don't know, Harry. I guess everyone was so used to following Dumbledore's orders that they didn't think about what it truly meant. I also guess that everyone was so used to rule your life that they reacted badly when Black appeared on the scene, attempting to grab the reins back from everyone's grasp," Severus said, thinking back on the summer in question. He had kept out of the arguments, often making himself scarce when the wills of Mrs. Weasley and Black clashed. Maybe if he had… Severus shook his head. The past was the past. He hadn't been willing to listen, to see what was truly going on. He was too filled with resentment and anger towards the world, and Potter in particular, that he was blinded by his own impotent fury.

"Dumbledore; it all comes back to him, doesn't it?" Harry mused, feeling too tired, not to mention too comfortable, to bother to get angry again.

"Yes, it does. And that reminds me, how did you manage to send off that tiresome ghost? From what those Hufflepuffs described the events, it sounds like you used an old Druid ritual, but that is impossible," Severus said, wanting to get on to the question that was truly bugging him. Emotional things only made him uncomfortable, and he knew very well that he was not suited to help others deal with feelings and matters of that nature.

"Is it?" Harry asked, a disturbing gleam springing into his eyes. "I guess it is time I showed you what I did, huh?" he added, sitting up, suppressing a sigh at the loss of warmth and comfort that Draco had provided.

"That can wait until after you have eaten," Draco said sternly, not about to allow his mate to go hungry just to appease his godfather's insatiable curiosity.

"I'm not really hungry, love," Harry replied, giving the Veela a tender smile, showing that he appreciated that the other boy cared.

"Do you truly expect me to believe that?" Draco asked, arching an eyebrow in challenge.

Harry chuckled, and acting on an impulse, he leaned forward and gave the disgruntled blond a peck on the cheek. "I love you, Draco, and I love it that you care for me, but that doesn't change the fact that I have completely lost my appetite, okay?"

"And I still say that you need to eat something," Draco stated, not about to allow a kiss to detract him from what was important; his mate's health.

Harry pouted prettily, glancing at the Veela from under his lashes.

Draco felt his resolve begin to crumble, but he valiantly stood his ground. He was not about to allow his mate to go hungry, not matter how cute he was when begging like that.

"How about something simple? Like some soup and crackers?" Lucius asked, breaking into the competition he felt was building between the two boys. Smiling tenderly, he sent his own mate a playful look. He could only too well remember the fights the two of them had had when Severus insisted on skipping meals, too intent on what he was doing to take time off for such unimportant things as food and sleep.

Severus harrumphed and climbed to his feet. He too could only all too well remember all the times that Lucius had insisted on interrupting him just because he felt an insane urge to feed him. Potter was in for some rough times until he had managed to make his Veela see reason. Then again, Severus had never managed to do that… Shaking his head, he was not about to go there. "How about I summon a house-elf while you gather your thoughts? I for one am most intrigued to hear how you managed to stumble over the secrets of the Druids. Don't tell me; one of the Black ancestors was practising their rituals in secret, am I correct? Leaving a painting or two behind for you to converse with?"

Harry snorted in amusement, climbing off the bed, stretching languidly once he was back on his feet. "If there is such a portrait, I haven't found it," he replied easily, suddenly feeling filled to the brim with energy and cheer. "Why don't you order that blasted soup while I go and get something. Be right back," Harry said cheerfully, running out of the room and leaving three startled Slytherins behind.

"I guess he is feeling better," Draco said bemused, climbing off the bed too. "Did Mrs. Weasley truly fight with Black, demanding that Harry be kept in the dark when it came to things he had a right to know?" he asked, glancing towards the door, not wanting Harry to hear this, having his good mood destroyed.

Lucius was also interested in the answer, and he came to stand next to the Potions master, looking at him expectantly. Severus just sighed, shaking his head in a mix of amusement and annoyance. All Malfoys seemed to be bloody persistent when it came to avenging a slight against family. Whether it was a real slight, or only a perceived one, they simply refused to give in until the guilty party had paid their due, no matter how long it took. A Malfoy always got their revenge in the end, and that was one of the reasons they were so feared.

'Never cross a Malfoy, you won't see them coming', was an unwritten rule that most of the Purebloods had lived by for more years than could be remembered. _Too bad that Parkinson chit hadn't heeded that rule, _Severus thought as he made his way into the sitting room. _She could have saved both herself and her family a lot of trouble if she had. Lucius is not about to allow her to ever forget that fact that she assaulted what was his, and neither is Draco. And this is a family I am willingly considering marrying into? I must be mad. Perhaps all those Cruciatus Cursers are catching up with me._

Snapping his fingers to summon one of the Hogwarts elves, Severus watched the two blonds that meant the world to him. Having made his request, the Potions master made his way over to the table and settled into one of the chairs.

Yes, both Lucius and Draco could drive him up the wall with their demanding personalities. Both were stubborn, wilful, and far too used getting their own way. But there was no denying the fact that they both loved him, or that they wanted him to be a part of their lives. Even Lucius had managed, somehow, to keep their friendship alive, despite being bound to Narcissa.

And if he was honest with himself, and that was something Severus strived to do at all times since no one else was, he did miss Lucius and the attention he had lavished on him that brief time they had together during the Veela's courtship. He did miss having someone who gave a damn whether he ate or not, and even though he had often chafed and complained about the fuss, it was those very memories that had kept him going during the often bleak years that had passed since then. Somewhere, deep, deep down, a small sliver of hope that Lucius would be free to come back to him had somehow survived. Now that that day was here, he'd be a fool to toss it aside. And no matter what else he was, Severus Snape was no fool.

* * *

**A/N:** What do you know, I've managed to produce an update. Somewhat short maybe, but I figured you would rather have a short chapter than no update at all. I'm not sure when the next one will appear, but it will most definitely happen in December, I promise.

**Next Time:  
**Harry explains how Binns was sent.  
Until Then…


	63. Enemies Galore

**Disclaimer:** Don't own them, not making any money.

**A/N:** Guess what? I'm updating!

Hitting a block you can't find your way around is never fun, but I think that I have finally figured out what I was doing wrong. I've been battling feelings of unease as I felt that something was missing, but for the life of me I just couldn't figure out what that was. It is a problem I've been struggling with on and off for quite some time now, I just never could put my finger on what the problem was.

When I started writing this story I was pretty new as an author, and as such I still didn't know what I was doing. I still hadn't developed a feel for story flow and I was really struggling with chapter lengths and so forth. Because of that I tended to skip a lot, dismissing them as 'unimportant' or reasoning that 'this chapter is long as it is, I just can't add to it'. Turns out a few of those things were more important than I thought at the time, go figure. Hopefully, knowing what the problem is I will be able to fix things, or at the very least work around them. I guess only time will tell.

I also want to thank all of you who have reviewed and done your best to encourage me. I know that I'm lousy at writing you back, but I _do_ appreciate that you are taking the time to send me a line. Thank you for being so patent with me, and thank you for not giving up on this story. Thank you!  
Janara.

* * *

**_Enemies Galore_  
****_Thursday, Sep. 19_**

Harry swiftly made his way into the sitting room and over to his special trunk, not wanting the others to come with him. Not this time. He might be opening up to the three Slytherins, but he wasn't willing to give away _all _his secrets. Not yet, anyway.

He was about to climb inside when Harry came to an abrupt halt. Groaning in frustration he suddenly remembered his promise to the others. He had promised not to get into the trunk on his own, but to retrieve the item he needed he _had_ to get into the trunk. Glowering darkly, Harry came to the conclusion that there was only one thing he could do. Turning around abruptly, Harry stomped back to the others and with forced calm asked, "Lucius, could you come with me while I get something from the bedroom?"

Lucius looked startled for a moment at the request, but then he understood and with a slight nod he followed the Elf over to the trunk.

Climbing inside, Harry hurried to the bedroom, reluctantly leaving the door behind him open after asking that Lucius wait for him outside, putting up a silencing charm to give himself some privacy. Walking over to the bed Harry placed his hand on one of the carved figures decorating the bedposts and murmured a spell in Parseltongue.

For a moment nothing happened, and then there was a soft click and part of the footboard fell away, revealing a secret compartment. Inside was several books, and Harry carefully picked one of them up, making sure it was the correct one. Holding it close to his chest, Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Was he doing the right thing? Did he truly want to share the secrets hidden in this innocent looking old journal?

Reopening his eyes, Harry closed the secret safe, not paying any attention to the other things stored inside. Walking over to the bed the youth sank down onto the mattress, his mind a whirl of emotions, yet he never fully forgot about the blond waiting patiently for him. So much had happened. In three short weeks - not counting the time he had just spent at Black Manor recuperating - his entire world had been turned upside down, and it was enough to leave his mind spinning.

Who would have thought that the two people he once called his best friends would turn out to be such backstabbers? Who would have thought that Blaise and Theo were shaping up to become good friends of the Boy Who Lived? Who would have thought that Albus Dumbledore of all people would completely lose his mind, using underhanded threats and tactics to get his way?

And who would have thought that Draco, Lucius, and Severus would be the ones to stand by him unconditionally, no matter what shit was hitting the fan at the time.

Harry looked down at the journal in his lap. Slowly, he ran his fingers over the cover, taking in each crack, each imperfection in the old leather, as he pondered the secrets hidden within. He supposed that he could continue to keep the journal secret. Harry was sure he could make up some cockamamie story that would pass muster, fooling the three Slytherins.

But if he did that something would change, and it was a change he could not undo. The other three might not know that he'd lied to them, but Harry would know. And considering how much he hated it when others lied to him...

"I guess it all comes down to trust," Harry said musingly, testing the words as he spoke them. "Do I trust Draco to always love and support me? Do I trust Lucius and Severus to always be there for me, no matter what my needs are? Do I trust myself to always be there for them?

Unable to remain seated, Harry jumped to his feet and began to pace around the bedroom. "That is the real question, isn't it? What I had before, with Ron and Hermione, it was all one-way. I gave, they took, and they didn't bother much to give anything back. I guess they got so used to me always being there for them that they couldn't comprehend what happened when I no longer had anything to give them.

"But Ron and Hermione were only my friends. And I'm beginning to think that they were more important to me than I was to them," Harry added with a snort, running a hand through his hair in agitation. "Draco, Lucius, and Severus... what I could have with them is so much more than I ever had with Ron and Hermione.

"Do I trust myself to be there for them? Do I trust myself enough to give them my heart? I've always had this niggling suspicion that I wouldn't live through the end of this blasted war, and in a way I suppose I had resigned myself to that fate. Now, however, I'm suddenly faced with a future. Do I dare grasping for that future? Do I dare believe that I will remain standing when all is said and done?

"Do I dare _not_ to take this chance?" Harry asked himself softly, staring down at the soft carpet. _This is the crossroad, isn't it? _he thought to himself, feeling to choked up to keep speaking his thoughts aloud. _I can either allow Dumbledore to win, giving up on myself and my future. Or... I can embrace the fact that I am an Elf, who happens to have a Veela for a mate. Not only that, but with that mate comes two extremely sneaky Slytherins who are hell-bent on loving and caring for me, no matter what our personal history were. _

_Hell, Severus has all but apologies to me for the way he's been treating me for the past five years. His actions sure as hell have shown me that he has a heart inside those black robes, and that he is more than willing to allow me inside. Hell, I've slobbered all over him on numerous occasions and Severus has yet to hex me for it. _

_And Lucius has done everything within his powers to welcome me into the family and to make me feel like I belong. Do I really want to just give up on that? For all my life I've only wanted one thing; a family. Now I have a shot of getting that family, what do I do? Grab hold with both hands, ignoring the fact that they aren't exactly the family I envisioned when I was little? Or do I act like an ungrateful brat and walk away because they do not fit the future I once dreamed of? _

Harry snorted to himself, realising that he had already made up his mind. "This is now. This is what is true. There is no point on holding on to a dream that probably will never come true anyway. Besides, what I have had with Draco so far outweighs my dream with so much that we no longer even are in the same _galaxy_.

Thinking back on the past weeks, focusing solely on the tender moments he and the blond Veela had shared, Harry found himself with a besotted smile on his face. He had known that he was falling in love with Draco, hell, he had even asked Lucius for permission to marry the boy, but Harry hadn't _known,_ he hadn't _realised_ that he was falling madly in love.

Love. What did he know about love? The Dursleys sure as hell hadn't loved him, and it was becoming painfully clear that Remus hadn't either. Harry swallowed hard, blinking back a few tears. Remus... It still hurt that the werewolf had dropped him like that. Harry didn't grudge him the chance of being happy, of spending his time with friends, feeling useful, but to cut off all contact like that? Even going so far as to remove the charm on Hedwig that enabled her to find the colony? That hurt. It hurt a lot.

Sirius might have loved him... but they had had such little time together... Now, afterward, Harry found himself questioning what it was he had been feeling for Sirius, and just what exactly his godfather had been feeling for him...

_But with Draco..._ Harry broke into a tender smile. _Even with the short time we've had together, I already know that he would never abandon me like that. And every time I look into his eyes... _Harry suppressed a shiver as he remembered the different shades of silver the Veela's eyes could change into depending on the mood.

_Draco wants me, all of me, and he has every intention of remaining by my side for the rest of my life, I have no doubts about that. He is even willing to take on the Dark Lord for me. Heck, he is even prepared to fight _Dumbledore _for me. If that isn't love, then I don't know what it is. _

_Besides, do I really need to _know _what love is? Isn't it enough for me to know that I want what Draco is giving me? Who cares if it is love or not? Isn't it enough for me to know that I like the feelings Draco invoke in me? Isn't it enough to know that I want to stand by him for the rest of my life, giving back the very same things he is giving me? Unconditional support, feelings of warmth and care, hell, I can't even describe to myself what it is I'm feeling about that Veela. All I know is that I want to build a future with him, that I want to settle down and have children with him. What more do I need to know anyway? _

The smile on Harry's face grew until it threatened to break it in two. Suddenly he threw his head back and began to laugh. "Hah! I guess my heart knew before the rest of me did. I'm in love with Draco bloody Malfoy! And I have no wish to change that. I am happy. I am actually honest to god happy! All I have to do now is turn my brain off and follow my heart."

Clutching the journal tightly to his chest, Harry knew his mind was made up. He would share his treasures with the others, just as they had shared their secrets with him. There were still issues that needed to be talked through, but they had their whole lives to get to that.

First, they needed to deal with Dumbledore, because there was no way in hell that Harry was going to allow that old man to continue to walk all over him. And there was no way in this life that Harry was going to allow Draco to be sacrificed to that bastard's ambitions the way Lucius and Severus had been.

Nodding his head decisively, Harry took down the wards and left the bedroom intent on finding his mate. No, on finding his family. Maybe Lucius and Severus would be able to help him with some of the rituals mentioned in the journal. They, after all, had years of experience with handling magic while he was just beginning to realise what was possible. There was also the fact that Harry had barely had time to do more than scratch a little on the surface when it came to the Druids, their beliefs, and their magic. His summer had been just a tad hectic this year after all.

"Is everything all right, loveling?" Lucius asked the moment Harry stepped through the bedroom door. Due to the silencing charm he had been unable to hear anything, but the Elf's body language had been enough to tell the blond that some major decision had been made.

"I'm fine, Lucius," Harry replied with a soft smile. "I guess I just needed to get a few things straight in my mind. So much has happened lately and I guess I haven't caught up with it all yet."

"That is understandable, love. I too find myself reeling with everything that has happened, and I do not have the added distraction of being the mate to an impulsive, impatient young Veela."

Harry gave Lucius a startled look, before bursting into giggles. "He is that, isn't he?" he said once he had his breath back. "And don't think for a moment that I'm not going to tell him that the next time we have an argument," Harry added cheekily, dancing out of reach for the swat Lucius aimed at his head.

HPDM

Shayell, the leader of the Veela clans were sitting having a nice cup of tea with Silverwind, the King of the Elves. The two had been discussing what to do with the thorny situation between the two boys and had finally agreed on a course of action. Feeling pleased with themselves, the two leaders had retired to do some catching up. Being old friends who saw each other far too seldom, they had a lot to talk about.

When the door to the parlour was suddenly thrown open, Shayell started badly, spilling hot tea into her lap. Giving the young aide a dark look that promised of retaliation at a later date for going against her explicit orders not to be disturbed, Shayell focused on repairing the damage done to her lap.

"My apologies for disturbing you, my Queen, but a message has arrived for you. It seemed important," the aide added, hoping to soothe some of the ire she could see smouldering just under the surface.

Glowering darkly, Shayell held out an imperious hand, accepting the scroll impatiently. This had better be damned important, or she would blast not only her aide, but the fool writing her as well. Grumbling under her breath, the Veela Queen gave her companion an apologetic look before breaking the seal. Absentmindedly wondering what Malfoy could want now, Shayell began scanning the missive.

_My Queen,_

_It is with regret that I am forced to inform you that the bond between my son and his mate is being threatened. Albus Dumbledore, a man I have always thought to be firmly on the side of what is right, has openly threatened Harry Potter, claiming that if the boy does not fulfil the whims of Headmaster Dumbledore then the budding bond between the boys will be broken and my son sent away from Hogwarts and will only be allowed to visit with his mate for a few hours during the weekends._

_What crime has Mr Potter committed for such a threat to be made you might ask? His only offence was putting the feelings of his Veela before those of a manipulative old man. Albus Dumbledore is harbouring thoughts of delusion, seeing himself as the next Merlin I have no doubt. As you might be aware, Dumbledore is the leader of an unsanctioned group called the Order of Phoenix, whose main purpose is to fight Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Or so they claim. I have seen precious little actions on their part to that end._

_Due to a prophecy - that conveniently enough only Dumbledore himself knows the full content of - the Headmaster of Hogwarts has put all his hopes of ending the war on the shoulders of an orphaned child. Dumbledore has given the boy no support, no special training apart from the 'adventures' he has lured Harry into. _

_Because of his unfortunate background, which I have already informed you of, Harry was unaware of his rights, and he unwittingly played along with the old man's manipulations, mistakenly thinking that he was the only one who could save the day. An impression that has been carefully cultivated by the Headmaster himself._

_However, every child grows up and Harry has begun to see through Dumbledore's false acts of caring. Unfortunately, the Headmaster is extremely unwilling to allow the one he is regarding as his primary weapon to form a mind of his own. _

_When Dumbledore found out who Draco's mate was he was delighted, seeing this as a grand opportunity to lure my son and myself over to the side of the Light. The Headmaster all but told Harry to whore himself to ensure that I would work for Dumbledore as a spy. Harry refused. _

_Considering the bad history between the boys, it came as a pleasant surprise that Harry was willing to set that past aside and give my Dragon a chance to prove himself to his mate. Harry Potter truly is a remarkable young man. Harry also stated his dissatisfaction with the way Dumbledore has been running his life, making it very clear to both Draco and me that he will not demand of us to join Dumbledore as a condition for him to accept Draco as a mate._

_Perhaps it is due to Harry's Elven inheritance, but he has been surprisingly open to exploring the budding bond that he shares with Draco, always more concerned for my son's safety and wellbeing than his own. Whatever the reason, I find myself extremely thankful of his forgiving nature and his openness of mind and heart._

_Harry has refused to place any demands on my son and myself, stating that we are capable of deciding for ourselves where our loyalties lie. As you know, I was forced into servitude of the Dark Lord by my own father. Harry is now aware of the happenings of that summer, giving me and my mate his full support. In fact, he has even devised for a way to remove our Marks, making it possible for us to finally bond as we meant to do years before. _

_Furthermore, Harry places much of the blame for what happened to Severus and I with Albus Dumbledore, feeling very upset that the Headmaster didn't do more to help us with our situation. _

_These are but a few incidents that have caused Harry to pull away from the 'esteemed' Headmaster, much to the man's displeasure. There have been other, more recent, happenings as well, such as an uncalled for attack by Pansy Parkinson, whom, as you know, believed was going to become the next Mrs Malfoy. In her fury of being thwarted, she even went as far as to cast Crucio on Harry. An act that the Headmaster has yet to punish the girl for._

_Dumbledore seems to have forgotten that he is supposed to be Headmaster of Hogwarts first, and a warrior of the Light second. Furthermore, Albus Dumbledore has no right dictating which side his students take in this war, and the Veela bond between my son and his mate has nothing to do with either Hogwarts or Dumbledore._

_Since I no longer feel that Albus Dumbledore can be trusted to look out for my son's welfare or the safety of his mate, I am planning on taking both boys out of Hogwarts. However, I wished to inform you of the situation first, in case you wished to make a statement on the current affairs. _

_Your loyal servant,_

_Lucius Malfoy._

Shayell hissed in anger, crumbling the letter in her fist. "How dare he? How _dare _he? Albus Dumbledore, this time you have gone too far. I will make you rue the day you thought to cross the Veela clans, this upon my magic I swear."

"I take it that things are not going well for the young ones?" Silverwind asked, eyeing the scroll worriedly. He had finally found his grandson, he was not about to allow harm to come to the boy. If this Dumbledore had done anything to hurt the youth, he would receive the full fury of the Elven realm.

Shayell opened and closed her mouth, searching for words to express her displeasure. In the end she just thrust the crumbled parchment into the king's hands saying, "Here, read it for yourself."

Silverwind arched an eyebrow, but did as suggested. The further he read, the darker grew the storm cloud that gathered above his brow. Jumping to his feet, the king stormed from the room shouting for the captain of his guard. If Dumbledore wanted a war, then a war he would get. No one messed about with a member of the Royal family. No one! Certainly not some mere human who apparently had forgotten how to care for the wellbeing of children. And this was the man they had made Headmaster of a school full of them?!

"You wanted to see me, your majesty?" Lightfoot, the captain of the guard, asked, making a deep bow in respect.

"Yes, I did. Gather the warriors - the elite guard only. We are going to the Human realm to teach an old man a lesson he will never forget!" Silverwind snarled, causing the other elf to pale dramatically. The last time he'd seen the king this angry an entire House had been eradicated. Murmuring an affirmative, Lightfoot swiftly made his way over to where the elite guard was training, barking orders the moment he walked through the doors. Whoever this human was, he would learn to rue the day he made an enemy out of the Elven King. Silverwind would see to that. _And _make sure that everyone learned of the fate of the unfortunate fool. Lightfoot couldn't help but pity the one who was about to have the full fury of the Elven Realm bearing down on him. This was not going to be pretty. No not pretty, but fun as hell!

HPDM

Back at Hogwarts, none of the occupants of the school had even an inkling of the storm that was about to be unleashed upon them. Most of the students were doing their homework, gossiping about Harry and Draco, discussing the DA, or talking about what type of pet they would like.

Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his office, sucking on a lemon drop and sulking. Things were not going the way as he had planned. Harry was supposed to fall over himself getting back in the Headmaster's good grace. The boy _had _after all destroyed a good part of Dumbledore's office, and the youth had yet to make up for that.

Harry was not supposed to become independent. He was not supposed to start thinking for himself. And he was most certainly not supposed to place a mere Veela before Albus Dumbledore!

"Where did I go wrong, Fawkes?" Albus asked his Phoenix, not truly expecting an answer. The bird had been his constant companion for years now, and the two was sharing a bond. Unfortunately, that bond had not deepened to a true Bond, which would have allowed them to have a mental connection. No matter, the Phoenix had helped the Headmaster out on several occasions, not to mention that it gave him a lot of credibility among the Light wizards of the world.

"You forgot that you were dealing with a boy and not a weapon," a voice replied dryly, causing Dumbledore to jump and choke on his sweet. Looking about, Albus frowned when he noted just who it was that had spoken. "You," he growled darkly. "I thought you were busy guarding the door to Harry's rooms? What are you doing here, Salazar?" The name of the Founder was spat out as if it gave Dumbledore a sour taste in the mouth to utter it.

Salazar laughed, not bothered by the Headmaster's attitude in the least. "Really, Albus, why shouldn't I come for a visit? I helped found this school you know, and I have every right to come and watch the man who is slowly but surely driving it into the ground. The way you are going there will not be a school left within a year. Everything is falling apart around you, and you are doing nothing to put a stop to it. Once you are gone, the history books will mention you as the man who allowed fame to go to his head, thusly destroying a thousand year old institution."

"Oh, shut up!" Albus growled, incensed. "Hogwarts is the safest place in Britain; it is not about to fall apart. Was it Harry that put you up to this nonsense? He would do well to focus on his training instead of attempting to defy me at every step.

"I suppose I shouldn't judge him too harshly. He has allowed Draco's Veela powers to go to his head. Once the Malfoy boy is out of Hogwarts I am certain that Harry will come back to his senses and remember what is important and what is mere folly and indulgence. Once Tom Riddle has been defeated, _then_ he can focus on finding love and building a family. I had hoped that you would make him see reason, but I suppose it is too much to ask from the likes of you," Dumbledore added with a sneer.

"'The likes of you'? What is that supposed to mean? If you referring to that ridiculous rumour that dear old Sal is a Dark wizard, then all I can say is that I thought better of you, Albus Dumbledore. You know, I am actually beginning to regret that you were picked as Headmaster for this school. I am sure that nice man Penrose would have made a fine Headmaster."

Albus choked on his lemon drop and levelled a Death Glare at Helga Hufflepuff. "August Penrose was an imbecile!" he all but shouted once he had his breathing back under control. "He would have been the worst possible choice for a leader of this school. Merlin, madam, he makes Cornelius Fudge appear competent in comparison!"

"Perhaps, but at least he would have put the children first. Can you say the same?" Helga asked challengingly.

"I have always cared for the children, doing everything within my powers to ensure their safety," Dumbledore said stiffly, incensed that two of the Founders dared to question his motives.

"Perhaps you did, at the beginning of your career. But you cannot deny that you did not help young Tom Riddle, can you? When he pleaded with you to be allowed to remain at the school during the summer time, what did you do? You sent him back to that deploring orphanage."

Dumbledore blinked, not sure how the Founders knew about that. He rallied swiftly, however, and gave the woman a dark glower. "Things have changed since you were in charge of this school. No longer can we give those seeking asylum shelter here. Besides, if you know that much about Tom Riddle then you know that he was a deranged young man who put too much store in the fact that he was Salazar Slytherin's heir from his mother's side."

Helga snorted derisively, but it was Rowena Ravenclaw who replied. "Your reasoning is so flawed I do not know where to start!" she said exasperated. "You all act as if the Ministry has _anything_ to say when it comes to the running of this school. It does not! The four of us made sure of that, as you should well know," Rowena added, giving Dumbledore a dark look. "Admit it, old man, it was your own prejudice that painted that young man blacker than black.

"It is true that young Riddle was a very angry man, but can you blame him? Wouldn't you be angry at the world too if you had to grow up in that despicable place? The way you kept such close tabs on him, always waiting for him to make a mistake so that you could rub his face in it didn't exactly help with his anger, now did it?" Rowena asked pointedly, ignoring the way Dumbledore was spluttering in outrage and denial.

"I have always found lady Rowena to be an excellent judge of character. We are still working on integrating ourselves fully with the castle, being hidden away the way we were has left us slightly out of the loop. However, once we have evaluated your time here at Hogwarts, we will be back. And we will pass judgement on you and your actions. From what little I have observed, I would say you have much to atone for. If I were you I would start working immediately on getting into our good graces. You can start by stop trying to run young Harry Potter's life. He is sixteen years old now, not to mention that he is bonded with a Veela. He is forever out of your grasp and the sooner you realise this the better."

Albus glared hotly at Godric Gryffindor, not taking in a word the Founder had said. "I should have known that Harry was behind this little gathering. I don't care what that boy says, he is the only one capable of defeating the Dark Lord, and I for one am not about to allow him to shirk his duty. I know that Harry is a modest boy, but that does not take away the fact that he has several obligations to the wizarding world, and I will not allow him to just walk away. He _will _fight Tom Riddle, and he _will _use the powers he has been granted. Now, be gone, or I will find a way to destroy your paintings, Hogwarts' interference be damned!" Albus snarled. Then he yelped and jumped back, accidentally overturning his chair, ending up flat on his back.

"You should have learned your lesson last time, Headmaster," Godric said with a merry chuckle. "She really doesn't like those who disrespect us and you just crossed the line."

Taking a good look at the disgruntled man who had just managed to climb back to his feet, the four Founders roared with laughter, giving praise to the castle for her ingenuity between guffaws.

Dumbledore growled and sent a hex aimed to shut them up. He was unprepared for the spell to rebound and he ended up wearing his own hex, which did nothing to sooth his already ruffled feathers.

Fawkes took one good look at his bonded, shook his head sadly at the folly of man, and took to the air, leaving in a flash of flames.

Feeling their mission was complete, the four Founders left the Headmaster's office, talking among themselves about the prank the castle had played on the insufferable man. Leaving Albus Dumbledore standing there, muted by his own hand, his hair, beard, and clothes coloured the deepest black. No matter what he tried, he could do nothing to undo any of the spell works, forcing him to seek out madam Pomfrey.

And since he couldn't speak, Albus found himself unable to use the Floo network, forcing him to walk through the school to reach the hospital wing. Fortunately, he met no one on his way. Unfortunately, he had to wait for more than ten minutes for Poppy to compose herself and stop laughing at the sight Dumbledore made. Black truly was not a colour that suited him.

In the end, the nurse was only able of cancelling the muting hex. As with the spell that had hit Hermione Granger, nothing that Poppy tried had the smallest effect, forcing her to inform the Headmaster that he would just have to tough it out until the spell had run its course.

Needless to say, it was a long time before Dumbledore manage to fall asleep that night, and his thoughts were dark and filled with plots for revenge on one Harry Potter, the one person Albus was convinced were responsible for his misery.

* * *

**Next Time:  
**We will finally find out what happened to Binns.  
Not to mention that _the_ Friday is finally almost upon us.  
Until Then... 

**A/N** Ummm, a question. Do you want to read an idept description of Lucius' and Severus' bonding, or would you prefer if I kept things short and with little details? (This _is_ supposed to be a Harry/Draco story after all.) Just thougth I'd ask before finishing writing up the chapter. J


	64. The Value Of A Good Book

**Disclaimer**: I don't own them, and are sadly not making any money.

**A/N:** Well, it isn't March, and it isn't Monday anymore either. But I got kind of close, didn't I? A big thank you to all of you who have reviewed, your positive words do this heart a world of good.

On another note… I have changed the beginning of the previous chapter to match the promise Harry made. To tell the truth, I had kind of forgotten that he made it so I focused on his need of privacy far more than I should have. My apologies.

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**_The Value Of A Good Book_**  
**_Thursday, Sep. 19_**

It was Severus who first noted when Harry returned to the living room, trailed by a chuckling blond. Taking in the bounce in the step, the sparkle in green eyes, not to mention the book clutched in the boy's hands, Severus groaned and stated in a clear voice, "Harry James Potter, if you are trying to claim that you learned how to do a Druidic ritual through a book I shall not believe you. Preciously little of the Druid's scriptures have survived to our days, and what little texts we do have are written in a language no one alive today knows how to comprehend."

Instead of looking chastened, Harry just nodded his head vigorously, his eyes dancing with laughter. "You are absolutely right, Severus. No one alive today knows how to read Druid," he said cheerfully. Far too cheerfully for Severus' peace of mind. "Lucius? Can't you do something about him?" he asked, almost plaintively.

"Me? What makes you think that he responds to anything I say?" Lucius asked innocently, his eyes dancing with amusement.

"Because you are his father-in-law?" Severus asked overly sweetly.

"What have you got there, Harry?" Draco asked, too taken in with his mate's delight to worry much about the cause of said good cheer. He also ignored the byplay made by the adults. Who could understand what they were thinking anyway?

"Oh, nothing much, just an old book," Harry said with studied nonchalance.

Lucius studied the teen for a moment, trying to get a feel for what was going through the Elf's mind. He might have accompanied Harry down the trunk to retrieve the book he was clutching so protectively, but that didn't mean that he had a clue as to what was going on. Admitting defeat, he shook his head, doing his best to fight down the smile tugging at his lips. "Might one ask who the author of that old book is?" he asked mildly, steering Harry towards the table and the food sitting and waiting on it.

"Oh, just a young boy named Auric," Harry replied, obediently settling down into a chair and eyeing the bowl of soup before him balefully. He truly wasn't hungry, but he had a feeling that Draco was not about to listen to him if he stated that fact out loud. For someone so intelligent and bright, Draco could be extremely dense and obtuse, not to mention stubborn, if he thought his mate wasn't taking good enough care of himself.

"And just who is or was that Auric?" Severus asked, figuring he would play along with Harry's game for now. "And you might as well start eating. That is something you will just have to get used to, Harry. A Veela is like a force of nature when it comes to caring for their mate. They are forever interrupting you, demanding that you take a break to eat and sleep. It is most annoying, but I suppose one can overlook that unfortunate trait," Severus said with a longsuffering sigh, slanting Lucius a teasing glance.

Lucius merely snorted, returning the glance with a glower. "No matter what you try to tell yourself, Severus Snape, you are terrible when it comes to looking after yourself. Just look at you! Thin as a rail, there isn't an ounce of fat cushioning those bones. Not to mention that you are working all hours of the day, not getting enough sleep at night, and we both know that your personality suffers even more when you are sleep deprived." Lucius leaned back in his seat, a smug little smile playing on his lips, convinced that he had gotten the last word.

It was Severus turn to snort. "I happen to be lean, Lucius, as you well know. There is nothing wrong with my weight, I do _not_ require to be fattened up," he stated, blithely pushing to the back of his mind the many arguments Poppy and he had had on that subject. "And you have always been obsessing with my sleeping habits. If I had a suspicious mind I would think that you were merely plotting on how to get me into your bed," Severus said ending his arguments with flourish, causing both Harry and Draco to choke on their soup.

"Ah, but who could blame me?" Lucius asked with a seductive purr and a heated look, causing two red spots to appear on Severus' cheeks while Harry and Draco once again choked, this time on the water they had been sipping to un-choke their last choke.

"Behave yourself," Severus said sternly, giving Lucius a mock glowering look. Unfortunately, the effect was ruined by the tender smile that threatened to break through his stern visage.

"Okay, before my dad forgets himself and pounces on his mate, could you please tell us who this Auric was?" Draco said, giving Harry a pleading look.

Unable to withstand that look, Harry reached out and tenderly stroked the Veela's cheek. "Of course. Auric was a shepherd that lived… you know, I'm not entirely sure when he lived," Harry said slightly taken aback. Shaking his head as if to dislodge some distracting thought, he went on," Anyway, Auric was a shepherd that lived in what today is Austria if I have gotten the geography correct. He too was orphaned at an early age and he was taken in by a distant cousin.

"One day he came across a Druid who was gathering herbs and the two started to talk while Auric showed him where some of the herbs the Druid was looking for grew on the mountain side. Long story short, the Druid felt that Auric had potential, and he took the boy in as an Apprentice."

"Auric wrote about that in his diary?" Draco asked, eyeing the book with renewed curiosity.

"Oh, Auric wrote about more than that in his diary," Harry said, a gleam in his eyes. "Although it wasn't truly a diary at that time, but more like a whole lot of scrolls that he kept hidden in a safe place. This journal was created by some scholar at a later date; there is a notation on the last page where she explains how she found the scrolls, and why she had them copied and bound together so that this remarkable find would not be lost to time, tear, and wear. According to this scholar, the original scrolls are hidden someplace safe, though I haven't got the faintest idea where.

"Anyway, back to Auric who was very unusual in that he already knew how to read and write, though the skills were a bit rusty by the time the Druid found him. Apparently, a shepherd has no needs for such scholarly skills, and the cousin had refused to fund his charge's further education. When Auric began his Apprenticeship, his master encouraged him to practise his penmanship by noting down all the tings he did each day.

"I don't think the old man thought much of it, but Auric took his words to heart and kept meticulous notes of everything he did, and since most of it was centred on learning the arts of the Druids he inadvertently ended up writing an instruction manual of how to become a Druid."

"The boy's master didn't demand that he burn the scrolls once he realised what the boy was doing?" Lucius asked, his voice tinged with awe and disbelief.

"I have no idea, perhaps he did, perhaps he didn't. To tell the truth, I haven't managed to get very far into it yet," Harry replied with a somewhat sheepish look on his face.

"Why not? Is the ink that faded?" Draco asked, remembering a few of the really old books in the Malfoy library he had looked at one time or other.

"No, the ink is still surprisingly readable, and once he'd practices a bit, Auric's handwriting is very easy to read. No, my main problem is the fact that he is using some obscure old dialect," Harry said with a sigh of frustration.

"Where did you find that book, Harry? And who helped you learn the language it is written in?" Lucius asked, his gaze hungry as it took in the innocent looking book. He wasn't aware of it, but his hands were twitching and it was with only with difficulty he didn't wrestle the journal out of the Elf's hands.

Chuckling lightly, Harry handed the book over to the eager blond. "I found it in the Black library, where else? It was Bartholomew who found it in some old shop somewhere, and he spent the better part of ten years trying to figure out the language the author used and locating someone who could teach it to him. The scholar was not thoughtful enough to add that to her notes. I guess she figured that anyone eager enough to read that thing would have to prove themselves by passing that hurdle on their own," Harry said with a slight chuckle.

"Fortunately for me, Bartholomew's portrait is hanging in the Manor, and he was willing to share the charm that would enable me to read the journal. Unfortunately, the translation spell is an old one, and to tell you the truth I'm not so sure how accurate it is because I tend to get an incredible headache if I read for too long," Harry said, rubbing his temple remembering the pain he had suffered.

"Then how did you manage to send Binns?" Severus asked, attempting to read over Lucius' shoulder as the blond reverently turned the aged tinted pages.

"That was one of the first things Auric was taught how to do. It would seem that to the old Druids that spell was child's play, and they used it demonstrate to their Apprentices how to infuse their magic into inanimate objects. From what I've been able to figure out, the Druids saw nature in a completely different light than how we tend to view it. I hope to some day be able to learn to understand what's written in that book because I have a feeling that we could learn a lot from the way they viewed the world. Unfortunately, things have been a tad hectic of late and I just haven't had the time," Harry said with a pouting sigh.

The three Slytherins simultaneously snorted at the Elf's statement. Things had indeed been hectic of late, and what with the situation with Dumbledore, they were sure to remain that way for a while yet. "You really must allow me to view the Black library, Harry," Lucius said, deciding to keep things light. There had been enough drama lately to last him a lifetime or two. "However, I believe we need to focus on what needs to be done to prepare for tomorrow morning first," he added somewhat sadly, eyeing the enticing journal longingly.

"Don't worry, Luce, the journal will still be there tomorrow," Severus said soothingly, taking the book from his hands and putting it gently onto the table. "Don't forget, there is that book written by Merlin that we haven't had a chance to look at yet. And you still haven't had a chance to read Helga's book yet, have you?" he added teasingly, earning himself a withering look from the older Veela. "But as you said, business before pleasure. So, what needs to be done, and who will do what?" Severus asked, feeling strangely cheered by the knowledge that he was not the only one struggling with finding time to read interesting books and having the world conspiring against you.

"I'll get you for that," Lucius whispered softly, his words meant for his mate alone.

"You can but try," Severus replied smugly.

HPDM

Pansy Parkinson entered the small suite that had been given to her when it became clear that none of her housemates wanted to share their dorm with her. The girls had all protested against sleeping with a boy, no matter that it was really a girl inside the male exterior, and the boys had stated that there was no way in hell that they would share their dorm with a girl, no matter who or what she looked like. So Pansy had been delegated to use one of the guest rooms situated near the Slytherin dorm. She was totally blinded to the fact that the guest suite was far more luxurious, not to mention spacious, then the dorm was, no all she could see was that she had been kicked out of her rightful place.

Not only had she lost Draco as her future husband, but she had at the same time lost her place as Slytherin's unquestionable queen as well. And it was all Harry bloody Potter's fault! Feeling too agitated to settle down, Pansy paced around her nice bedroom, glaring at everything and anything, too caught up in her own dark thoughts. So far, the year had not gone as predicted. Narcissa had assured her that Draco would pick her as his mate. Considering the amount of time she had spent with the blond boy how could Draco even _think_ of picking someone other than her?

Anger rose in her breast, threatening to choke her, as Pansy recalled all the attention she had paid Draco over the years. She had known ever since they were not much older than toddlers that she would some day become the next Mrs Malfoy. All she needed to do was spend as much time as possible with her intended, getting everyone accustomed to thinking that she was the one that held Draco's affections.

Besides, Narcissa had ensured her that even if Draco did pick someone other than her, Narcissa would know just how to ensure that Draco's affections were redirected to her, where they should have been from the start. But Narcissa had disappeared from the face of the earth and all of Pansy's attempt to reach her had failed.

Needing an outlet for her churning emotions, Pansy grasped the first thing she saw and hurled it into the wall. The satisfying sound of the glass figurine smashing into tiny pieces had Pansy reaching for other objects, throwing them with all her might, shrieking like a banshee. She didn't stop until she was standing in the middle of complete ruin, feeling strangely elated and calm. A noise coming from behind her had her twirling around, wand in hand and curse already flying.

"I is sorry, miss, but I is asked to deliver gift," Dobby said, his ears twitching at the close call he had just experienced. Only the fact that Pansy had expected to face a human had saved the small house-elf from a very painful experience.

"Oh?" Pansy asked, perking up immensely. "Give it to me! And clean up this mess," she added, putting her nose into the air and brushing past the elf as if he wasn't even there.

Dobby glowered darkly, but then he smirked. Snapping his fingers he removed the mess as ordered, only leaving behind the things that had not been damaged as the girl threw her tantrum. Looking around the now decidedly Spartan bedroom, Dobby smiled wolfishly and popped out to announce that his mission had been a success.

In the sitting room Pansy had already forgotten all about the house-elf, too busy taking in the delicacy of the red rose she had been given. Burying her nose into the lovely flower, breathing in the heavenly scent, Pansy felt herself relax for the first time that day. Smiling happily, she suddenly remembered the envelope that had come with the rose and turned her attention to it.

Taking a moment to appreciate the fact that the envelope was the exact same nuance as the rose petals, proving that the giver had put some time and effort into the gift, Pansy eagerly tore the letter open, pulling out the card inside.

_I have not forgotten  
__I have not forgiven  
__Your time will come_

Feeling a shiver of dread, Pansy could only stare at the short, sinister message. Who would send such a thing to her? Then the Sickle dropped, and Pansy crumbled the card into a tiny ball with an angry snarl. "I have not forgotten nor forgiven either, Potter. If you want war, then a war you shall have. No one steals what is mine, no one!"

Her fierce declaration would have been more impressive if she hadn't hiccupped just as she delivered the end of her threat. Feeling very much putout, Pansy folded her arms across her now flat chest and pouted petulantly. Again the effect was ruined by a hiccup.

"What the hell hick is going on?!" Pansy cried out in anger, ending her outburst with three hiccups that seemed to come from the bottom of her feet. "The rose! Potter -hick- must have -hick- enchanted -hick- the rose!" she exclaimed triumphantly as the pieces fell together in her mind. Sneering Pansy bent to pick up the cheap thing, holding it up between her thumb and index finger. "How utterly -hick- juvenile, -hick- really, -hick- Potter, -hick- couldn't you -hick- have come -hick- up with -hick- a better -hick- re-hick-venge -hick- than -hick- that? -hick-" Pansy asked snidely before burning the rose up. Or rather, tried to turn the rose into cinder. Since she was now hiccupping constantly, only managing to get out one syllable between each hiccup, even a simple word as Incendio seemed impossible to say.

In the end, Parkinson screamed in fury and crushed the flower in her fists, letting out a stream of curses when the thorns on the stem embedded themselves into her flesh. Unable to get them out manually and now totally incapable of speaking one spell due to the never-ending hiccups, Pansy was forced to trudge all way up to the hospital wing. For a moment she considered seeking out her Head of House, but in the end she didn't dare to. Snape – who Pansy had always considered the epitome of what a Death Eater should be – had proven himself to be a little too close to the Malfoys of late. Perhaps he wasn't as loyal as everyone thought him to be? And perhaps the Dark Lord would appreciate a word of warning?

Maybe, if she played her cards right, Pansy could earn favour from Lord Voldemort, and if she was really lucky, she might even claim Draco as her reward. Smiling brightly to herself, Pansy filled her mind with daydreams of all the things she would do as Lady Malfoy, making the long road to the infirmary seem shorter and much, much more pleasant.

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**Next Time:**  
Our boys ponder what the future will hold for them now  
that Friday has finally all but arrived.  
Until Then… 


	65. The Night Before

**Disclaimer:** I do not own them, unfortunately

**A/N:** Thank you everyone for taking the time to review. I really appreciate your positive feedback.

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_**The Night Before The Start Of Our Future  
****Thursday, Sep. 19**_

Harry found it extremely difficult to settle down that night and go to sleep. Not even Draco's soothing presence next to him did anything to help the Elf to calm down enough to feel even remotely drowsy. Tomorrow was _finally_ the day that Severus and Lucius would be free of their Dark Marks. For so long they had waited for this day, and now that it was almost here Harry felt terrified that something would happen to prevent the two men the freedom they so richly deserved.

"Would you calm down? We've thought of everything. Nothing is going to happen; not to Father, and not to Severus," Draco said in exasperation when Harry continued to fidget next to him. Wrapping his arms more securely around his mate, Draco reached up and began to run his fingers through soft black hair in the way he knew Harry liked.

"I'm sorry, Draco, but I just can't help it!" Harry complained, shifting his position yet again. "What if something goes wrong? What if the potion doesn't do what it is supposed to do? What if I'm not strong enough to free the spirit snakes? What if- oomph!"

Draco calmly looked into the green eyes glaring at him, keeping his palm firmly planted across the Elf's mouth. "Harry, we have been over this at least a hundred times. You know as well as I do that this will work. The only one capable of stopping us is Dumbledore and we've made sure that he'll be too busy with his own troubles to worry about us. Relax, Harry, everything will be just fine."

Harry looked searchingly into silvery eyes, needing the reassurance and the firm belief that was shining from their dept. Sighing softly he put his head down over Draco's heart, removing the hand from his face in the process, hoping the sound of the steady heartbeat would help calm his suddenly jittery nerves. "I know, love, and I _do_ know. It's just…"

"Believe it or not, but I do know too," Draco said softly, resuming his petting. "But I have faith in you. And I have faith in my father and godfather, and in myself too. We've been over this so many times, looking at the problem from every angle, and we've made so many contingency plans I'm not sure I remember them all. We will be fine. They will be fine, and by Monday the two of them will be bonded the way they were meant to be."

"I really wish I could feel that certain," Harry said with a soft sigh. "Unfortunately, life has taught me to never take anything for granted. And no matter how well made the plan, something always goes awry, leaving me scrambling to save the day."

Draco snorted. "You forget, love, most of those plans were made by Dumbledore. _Of course_ they went awry," he stated matter-of-factly, giving Harry a pointed look.

Harry stilled for a moment, completely taken aback by the logic behind Draco's statement. Then he broke into sniggers. "I guess I never looked at it that way," he eventually gasped once he was able to speak again. "I guess I never truly allowed myself to consider how much he manipulated me while I was younger. Merlin, I was so stupid!" Harry said with a sigh, thinking back at his younger years.

"No, not stupid, Harry. You were young, ignorant, even naïve, but you were never stupid," Draco said softly, giving his mate a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah, I guess I was, wasn't I?" Harry slowly agreed having thought the matter through some more. Emitting another soft sigh, but this time one of contentment, Harry settled himself more comfortably against his Veela and listened contently to the steady beating of his beloved's heart.

"I still don't think I can go to sleep though," Harry finally admitted, his mind abuzz with worries, plans, and counter plans. "What if Dumbledore doesn't come down for breakfast? What if he doesn't ingest the potion? What if-"

"Dumbledore _will_ come down for breakfast, and he will drink down the potion. Dobby will make sure that he does and you know it! You've completely converted that house-elf you know that, right? I don't think I have ever seen oneso fiercely devoted and protective of their charge before."

Harry shrugged his shoulders feeling a little uncomfortable. "I just wanted to help him. I thought your father was mistreating him and I just wanted to do something nice for the poor thing. Even though he almost got me killed attempting to save my life," Harry added with a laugh. He swiftly grew sombre again and Harry turned his head to look into Draco's loving eyes. "I'm sorry about your mother, Draco. I know that you don't love her, and that is just… sad," he said, searching for the appropriate word and just not finding one that truly described what he was feeling.

"My mother loves only one person and that is herself. Her parents named her very aptly. I wonder if they knew? I mean, just about every other Black are named after a star and she was named after a flower. And not just any flower at that," Draco said musingly. "Anyway, you are in no way or shape responsible for that woman's actions. On the contrary, you are helping my father to gain his true mate, and that true mate is most definitely not Narcissa Black!"

"I know," Harry admitted with a soft sigh. "But still… achild is supposed to be able to love their parents, you know? I don't remember my parents and the Dursleys never gave me any encouragement to view them as substitutes. I always thought you led a charmed life and to find out that you too lost your mother… Ah, forget it, I can't explain what I mean," Harry said irritably, moving to turn away from the Veela, not wanting him to see the treacherous tears that filled his eyes.

"Oh, Harry," Draco said with a soft sigh, hugging himtightly, ignoring Harry's initial struggle to get away from him. "It is not stupid. And I do understand what you are saying. Family is something sacred to you, isn't it? In a way it is to me too, only Narcissa was never a part of that. To me, my family consisted of my father and of Severus. Now it has extended to include you as well, and I find that I am… content. No, I am more that that. I am happy. For the first time in my life I am truly happy and I have you to thank for that," Draco said with a beatific smile, giving Harry's forehead a light kiss.

Snuggling down in each other's arms the two teenagers lay in silence, enjoying the other's closeness. However, soon Harry found his mind abuzz once more and he began to grow restless. Feeling it next to impossible to remain still and not fidget, Harry searched for something, anything, to think about that did not include the events of the following day.

Almost desperate for a diversion, the Elf latched onto a conversation he'd had with the Malfoys after his first Monday prank. Merlin, but that day seemed a lifetime ago! Poking a finger into the blond's ribs, Harry asked softly, "Draco, you awake?"

"Uh-huh. Still finding it hard to sleep, love?" Draco asked drowsily, already halfway to the land of dreams.

"Yeah, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Harry asked hesitantly. Now that he had asked the question, if only to himself, he kind of wanted to know the answer. Still, what if Draco didn't share his father's views? What if he did?

"What is it, beautiful?" Draco asked, coming wide awake in an instant as he felt the conflicting emotions his mate was experiencing. "Are you still worried about tomorrow?"

"No, this is something else. Draco, do you…?" Harry trailed off, unsure how to voice the question that had so unexpectedly popped into his mind.

"Do I what?" Draco asked, mystified. What on earth could have put his mate in such a state?

"Do you want children?" Harry asked hesitantly, craning his neck so he could watch the blond's face intently.

"Do I want what?!" Draco asked shocked, completely taken by surprise. This was not what he had been expecting and all he could do was watch his mate with wide eyes.

"Do you want children?" Harry asked, bravely repeating his question. "When we talked about Norabeth and her prank, I asked why wizards today have so few children, remember? Lucius told me that he'd always wanted a large family but that Narcissa refused him. Hmm, I wonder… Do you think Lucius and Severus will have more children now that they are finally free to bond?"

"I… Um… Well…Huh…" Draco stuttered, his mind a whirl.

"Draco? Are you alright? Do you need something? Should I call your father?" Harry asked in alarm, sitting up and about to bolt from the bed to get whatever the Veela needed.

Draco sat up in the bed too and grabbed hold of his mate's nearest arm. "Harry, you prat, you can't just throw a question like that at me and expect me to have a pat reply ready. Not at this time of night, anyway!" he said with some exasperation.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Harry said softly, hanging his head, feeling contrite.

Draco put his arm around slumped shoulders and pulled his Elf into an embrace. Settling back onto the bed, making sure that they were both comfortable, the blond took a stab at answering the questions that had thrown him for such a loop. "Um, let's see. Will Father and Severus have children together? I don't know. I guess it is something none of us has really considered. I know Father would be delighted to have another son or a daughter or two.

"Severus might act as if he abhors children, but he has always been wonderful towards me, so I'm guessing he wouldn't mind a child or two of his own either. Me, I would be delighted to have a sibling, so I would be more than all right if that happened.

"As for a child of my own… I would be both honoured and humbled if you were to give me a child, Harry. I wouldn't even care if it was a girl or a boy, though it probably would be a boy," he admitted somewhat ruefully. "Malfoys tends to have a son for their firstborn, something to do with our magical makeup," Draco added with a slight shrug of his shoulders. He had never truly thought much about having children; besides, Lucius had only mentioned the Malfoy tendency once when Draco had asked the famous, 'Dad, where do babies come from?' question when he was five so he truly didn't recall the details very well. He would have to ask his father again now that he had finally found his mate.

"You only want one child then?" Harry asked timidly, dropping his gaze to Draco's silk clad torso.

Draco's eyebrows shot upwards, it sounded as if Harry most definitely wanted more than one child. Feeling a smile threaten to break out, Draco pulled his Elf into a tight hug. "I wouldn't mind having more than one child, Harry. But what do you want?"

"I've always wanted a large family, with lots and lots of children to love and spoil and give all the things I never had growing up," Harry admitted softly, taking comfort from the tight hug that only grew tighter at his reply.

"I would be happy to give you as many offspring as you'd like, Harry. Um, just how many children did you wish for?" Draco belatedly thought to ask once the first heady feeling of joy had dispersed a little.

"Um… Well… Do you really want to know?" Harry asked, unable to meet Draco's eyes, fidgeting slightly.

"Harry?" Draco asked, beginning to wonder if he should start to worry or not.

"Well… twenty-five," Harry admitted in a rush, biting back a laugh.

"_Twenty-five_?!" Draco exclaimed with a yelp.

"You said you wanted more than one child," Harry said innocently, glancing up at Draco through his eyelashes.

"Yes, but _twenty-five_?!" Draco asked, still stuck on the number and not aware of anything else.

"Oh," Harry said, his face falling. "It is too few, isn't it? How many children did you want? I don't think I can agree upon more than thirty-two." Harry face was a study of misery and noble sacrifice.

"_Thirty-two_?!" Draco shouted, but then he stopped and took a good look at his mate. "You prat! You enjoyed that, didn't you?" Draco asked, narrowing his gaze in mock-outrage.

Harry tried, really he did, but the situation was just too ridiculous and despite his best efforts, he broke into gales of laughter.

Draco glared at him, before deciding that this demanded retribution. Taking his Elf by surprise, Draco pounced and began to tickle his impudent mate until he had been suitable punished.

HPDM

"So," Harry said once the two had straightened out the rumbled bed and once again had settled down to sleep.

"So what?" Draco asked suspiciously, not sure if he could handle any more shocks tonight.

"Do you have a favourite name?" Harry asked, his mind having wandered back to the subject of their future children.

"Do I have…? Oh. Yes, I've always like the sound of Antares," Draco admitted, running a lock of black hair through his fingers.

"Antares?" Harry echoed, frowning slightly as he tried to recall why the word seemed familiar. Then it clicked and he gave Draco an unreadable look. "The brightest star in the constellation Scorpius? How come I'm not surprised? What is it with you Slytherins and loving dangerous, not to mention poisonous animals?" Harry asked with an indulgent smile.

"Excuse me, but at least I'm not talking to them," Draco said in a huff, putting his nose up in the air.

"It doesn't bother you, does it?" Harry asked, suddenly feeling worried that Draco feared and loathed him for his unusual gift.

"Bother me? Oh, that you are a Parselmouth? No, love, it doesn't bother me at all. Everyone with a brain knows that a gift or a talent in itself is not evil, it all depends on what you do with the gift," Draco said calmly, not about to admit that he was actually a tad envious of Harry ability to talk to snakes.

"Oh, good," Harry said with a relieved sigh, relaxing against blond once more.

"So, do you have a favourite name?" Draco asked, both to lighten the mood and because he was genuinely curious of the answer.

"Well, for some reason I've always wanted a little girl," Harry began slowly, not entirely sure how Draco was going to react to that piece of information. The Veela merely hummed in acknowledgement, silently encouraging his mate to go on.

"I know most is expecting me to name my daughter after my mother, but I don't want to do that. It is awkward enough for me always being told that I look just like dad but that I have my mother's eyes. I've always felt that people expected me to be just like them just because I look like them. But I'm not. I never knew my parents so I never got the opportunity to emulate myself to be like them. And I just know that if I named my daughter Lily then people would compare her to my mother, and since neither of us will ever know her…"

"What name would you give her then?" Draco asked, wanting to help his mate over the emotional bump that had appeared in their conversation.

"Leoma," Harry admitted shyly.

"Leoma? I think I like that," Draco said slowly, sounding the name out.

"I read it in a book once; I think it was during my first year here, or possibly my second. It is Old English and it means bright or light."

"Leoma… Yes, I most definitely like it. It is settled then, our firstborn daughter will be named Leoma something Malfoy."

"Hmm, you don't suppose we could come up with something better than naming the poor kid Something?" Harry asked innocently, only to be subjected to a second tickle attack as punishment.

When the bed had been put to rights for the second time that night, Harry finally found himself starting to feel sleepy and he closed his eyes with a happy sigh, drifting off to sleep. Draco on the other hand was now wide awake, his mind filled with the images of small children running around, both girls and boys, with blond hair and startling green eyes or black hair and dancing silvery eyes.

Smiling slightly, Draco lost himself in the vision, trying to come up with suitable names to give his and Harry's future children. Though there would not be twenty-five of them! Nu-hu, no way. Twenty-five? Really, how in Salazar's name had Harry come up with that specific number?!

Giving his innocently sleeping mate a suspicious glare, Draco determinedly emptied his mind and did his best to go to sleep. He would need his wits about him tomorrow and thus he needed his sleep. But how in the name of Hades did Harry expect him to sleep with the images of twenty-five children swimming around in his brain?!

The more he thought of it, the more he liked the idea of having a large brood of children. But no matter how many children he and Harry had, they would never in a million years become anything like the Weasleys!

For one thing, Harry and he could afford having seven children, thank you very much, and they would not shame the Malfoy name by forcing their children to dress in rags the way the Weasleys were. Not to mention that the Malfoys could afford to hire both nannies and tutors that would ensure that each and every child would be given all the attention and love they needed to grow up to become people that would do the Malfoy name proud. The tutors would ensure that they all got the education needed as not to shame themselves in public by such disgraceful manners that that baboon Ronald Weasley displayed. Honestly! The boy was sixteen and he _still_ couldn't chew his food with his mouth closed, for Salazar's sake!

Furthermore, having a large number of children would ensure that the Malfoy influence would increase incredible, what with their children marrying into various prestigious families in both Britain, Europe and the rest of the world.

But most importantly of all, far more valuable than money, and far more precious than prestige, was the fact that he would love each and every child Harry gifted him with just because it was a product of Harry's and his love. He still thought that twenty-five was far too many, but perhaps ten? Or… maybe twelve? Six boys and six girls kind of had a nice ring to it. But if they did have six boys, then maybe they should go for seven? The seventh son of the seventh son was fabled to be extremely powerful, and considering how powerful Harry was…

No, this was not something to ponder on a night when he needed to get to sleep Draco told himself firmly. Clearing his mind once more, the blond did his best to relax and follow his mate into sleep. Still, it was long past midnight before the Veela finally managed to drop off, and then his dreams were filled with childish laughter and demands of hugs, kisses, and stories. Around their feet danced kittens and puppies and around their heads flew owls and falcons, doing their best to add to the chaos, and Draco found himself loving every minute of it.

The only thing that gave him slight pause was the sheer number of children, all with blond or black hair, and Draco found himself sending up a heartfelt prayer that some of them belonged to his father and his mate.

HPDM

Lucius Malfoy too found sleep elusive this night. Not yet feeling ready to even attempt going to bed, the blond sat staring broodingly into the dancing flames of the fire, a glass of white wine dangling from his fingers.

So much had happened. So many hidden secrets had come to light, and Lucius still had no idea how to deal with even half of them. How did you inform an abused, lonely boy that he had been lied to? That the very people he had once put his trust in had withheld important information from him? Information they had no right keeping hidden in the first place? By Salazar and the Founders, was there _no_ aspect of that poor child's life that Dumbledore hadn't meddled with?

"A Sickle for your thoughts, love," Severus whispered, sliding down to sit next to his Veela on the couch, just managing to save the glass of wine from smashing against the stone floor, surprised that Lucius had been so preoccupied that he hadn't even sensed him entering the room.

"Merlin, Sev! You scared ten years of my life!" Lucius said with a huff, wrapping an arm around his mate.

"My apologies," Severus murmured, starting to get worried. Lucius Malfoy _never_ let down his guard that much. He was _always_ aware of his surroundings, hating to be taken by surprise by anyone. "What is troubling you so this night?"

Lucius sighed and returned his gaze to the dancing flames. "I'm attempting to not think about tomorrow, so I got thinking about how to tell Harry about Dumbledore and his manipulations. I _still_ can't believe that the Goblins at Gringotts agreed to keep Harry's inheritance from him. The child is one of the wealthiest persons in the wizarding world, and all he has access to is his trust fund. A vault that has been almost emptied. No wonder he was so hesitant about implementing his business ideas. It wouldn't surprise me to find that he had no idea of the riches his parents left him. How do I tell him, Severus? How do I shatter what little trust he has left in Dumbledore and his Order?"

"If you ask me, I don't think Harry has any love for Dumbledore or his people left in him. They have all turned their backs on him, and he is all too aware of that, unfortunately. The only ones still on his side are the older Weasley boys, and apart from possibly Bill, none of them would know the state of the Potter fortune.

"I suggest you sit the boys down once the weekend is over and tell them what you have found out. I bet Dumbledore was counting on keeping Harry dependant on him, and that is why he withheld the child's inheritance. With you as his guardian, Harry should soon have control of his money. The Goblins wouldn't dare making a fuss, too worried about the uproar you would cause if they stand in your way," Severus said with a soft chuckle. "And I think we will find that Harry will be a lot less shy once he is monetary secure. For all his life, he has had to struggle alone, never having access to money to help smooth things along. That reminds me, how far along has Mercury gotten gathering the people we will need for the shop and for the expedition?"

"Merc should be sending a list of people for us to review on Monday. I'm sorry our celebration is cut short, love. Normally, we would have at least two weeks in solitary to allow the bond to settle. I just hate to-"

"Shush, my love, I know and I understand. Our situation is not normal, and at this time Draco and his mate comes first. But once the boys are safe and away doing their own bonding, I fully expect you to make this up to me, Lucius Malfoy," Severus said, for once dropping his guard, allowing his love to shine through onyx eyes.

"Thank you, Dearheart," Lucius whispered, pulling his mate into a fierce hug.

"So, in the lieu of not thinking of tomorrow, have you had time to considered Narcissa's punishment? Isolating her on that island isn't enough for the crimes she has committed against her family. Against _my_ family," Severus added with a low growl.

Lucius snorted, though secretly his heart was swelling with love at the words his mate had just spoken. "Talk about a mood killer, Sev. As for Narcissa, no I've actually done my best not to think of that bitch. Why? Have you got any ideas?" Lucius asked, turning slightly so he could better see his fellow Slytherin. Severus had a protective streak a mile wild and did not take lightly anyone slighting what he considered his.

"Actually, I have," Severus admitted sheepishly. "While we were waiting for Harry to wake up, I spent a lot of time pondering our future. You are aware that it is highly unlikely that I will be able to carry a foetus to term, aren't you? What with the Dark Lord's torture and my time spent in the Potions lab, brewing those disgusting poisons and other Dark potions on the Dark Lord's command, I fear that my body no longer is capable of carrying a child, not even with the aid of your Veela magic," Severus whispered, staring down at the floor. Would Lucius reject him now?

"Oh, Sev, I'm so sorry," Lucius whispered into his love's hair as he crushed the other man to him, tears filling his eyes. Once again he had let his mate down.

"You didn't let me down, Lucius! It was your father and the Dark Lord!" Severus hissed angrily, causing the Veela to realise that he had spoken out loud.

"But I-"

"No buts! You did nothing wrong, Lucius. For that matter, _I_ did nothing wrong. I have finally come to realise that. We would have gotten together when the time was right if others hadn't interfered. _Others_, Lucius, not you and not me, do you hear me?" Severus demanded with conviction, glaring hotly into the silvery eyes he loved so much, willing the other man to believe him.

Seeing the certainty in the other's eyes Lucius nodded once before burying his head in his mate's hair, still not fully convinced, but not feeling up to arguing with his mate at the moment. "I hear you, Sev, but what has this got to do with punishing Narcissa?" he asked, lifting his head, feeling perplex as he remembered what started their argument.

"Oh, I just recalled the other day how much Narcissa hated being pregnant. She was forever whining, demanding your attention at any hour of the day, not to mention expensive gifts, do you remember?"

Lucius shuddered. "How could I forget? Are you suggesting…?" he asked with dawning realisation.

"Yes, I am. There is nothing wrong with the bitch that I am aware of. And considering the fine man you son have become, there is nothing wrong with her breeding skills. Why not demand that she gives you, oh say… three sons? In compensation for the damage done by her ancestor. That should satisfy the demands of the Oath sworn by your forefather, don't you agree?" Severus asked blandly, his black eyes glittering with amusement and a thirst for revenge.

"Severus Snape, soon to be Malfoy, you are a genius!" Lucius stated with relish. "She will be positively miserable!" he crowed gleefully. "And since there are ways to ensure that she can't harm either herself or the unborn child…

"I love how that twisted mind of yours work, love. This is by far better than the revenges I managed to come up with. They were much more bloody, not to mention over too quickly. This way Narcissa gets to suffer, and we will have the children I've always dreamt of."

"I'm glad you approve," Severus said, snuggling into the blond's side. "Considering the vast number of fertility potions available, we shouldn't have any troubles finding one that will allow us to be the parents, leaving Narcissa to act only as a womb for our children, not adding anything of her own genetic material. Like I said, Draco has grown up to be a fine young man, but I find that I do not wish for our future children to gain _anything_ from that woman," Severus said, sounding rather fierce.

"I agree completely with you, Severus. I love Draco, but if he had been our son then I would feel complete. I have never told anyone this, but every time I see him, I feel a twinge of regret that he wasn't born from our love," Lucius admitted softly, for the first time speaking of the feelings he had buried deep within his heart.

"Oh, Dearheart, I had no idea," Severus whispered, hugging the Veela tightly.

"You were not meant to know. As you said, what is done is done, there is no use feeling regret. Draco is my son and I love him. I am happy that I've managed to save him from my own fate, but it cannot be denied that he was meant to be _our_ son."

Severus sighed softly, wondering what he could say to lighten the burden the other had carried for so long. "I know that you love that boy, Luce. No one who has seen you around Draco would ever doubt that. Your son is a loving, caring boy, who is head over heels in love with his mate. It is clear to anyone with eyes that he is your son. _Not_ Narcissa's. Draco might have acted the part, but the fact is that there isn't a mean bone in his entire body. He is a Malfoy through and through.

"And do you know what? I am glad you have him. He made the past sixteen years bearable. When I lost you I enclosed my heart in ice, determined never to feel anything for anyone ever again. I didn't think there would ever be a future for the two of us, and the only reason I didn't take my own life was my burning need for revenge against the Dark Lord. If it hadn't been for him and that bastard who sired you…" Severus trailed off, too choked on his emotions to manage one more word.

"Oh, Severus, I never knew," Lucius whispered, feeling devastated at his mate's sufferings.

"But Draco wouldn't allow me to close my heart off completely," Severus said, determinedly forging on, needing to get everything said now that he had started. He needed to make Lucius see, to understand. "He captured the small part of my heart that was still capable of feeling, refusing to let go. On the contrary, the little imp burrowed deeper and deeper into my affections, until I simply couldn't imagine a life without him anymore.

"When I realised that Narcissa wouldn't even breastfeed her own son something inside just… screamed, and I decided then and there that if she didn't want this beautiful baby then I would take him. Do you hear what I am saying, love? I claimed Draco when he was not even three months old, swearing an oath on my magic that I would be his 'mother' since his blood mother had forsaken him. Draco _is_ our child, Luce, he might not carry my blood, but he is my son in every other way."

"I never knew," Lucius said, staring at his mate in wonder. "I knew that you cared for him, and that you were there for him as much as your other duties allowed you, but I had no idea…"

"You were not meant to know," Severus admitted, glancing away, no longer able to meet the other's eyes. "I never attempted to deliberately break the bond between Draco and Narcissa, I didn't dare to. I probably could have, but where did that leave us? The Dark Lord had already proven that he did not approve of us bonding. If you rejected Narcissa… I feared it would end in your death, or more probably my own. And what of Draco? I might have given up hope, but I just couldn't abandon Draco to the Dark Lord's mercy, especially since we both know that that man doesn't have an ounce of mercy in his entire body!"

Lucius felt tears fill his eyes, and for once he did not care. He had always known what an extraordinary mate he had in Severus Snape, but he hadn't realised just how extraordinary his mate was. Putting a finger under a proud chin, Lucius silently encouraged Severus to look at him. "I love you, Dearheart, and I thank you for the love and loyalty you have shown me and my son. You are absolutely correct, Draco truly _is_ our son. I will no longer carry regret in my heart. And any child you gift me with will be just as loved as our firstborn is, this I swear to you, Severus Snape."

Giving the Veela a shy, happy smile, Severus snuggled down into blond's shoulder, content to just be after his emotional outburst. The words might have needed to be said, but that had not made them easier to voice.

Lucius sighed in happiness, wrapping an arm around his beloved's shoulders, content to sit in silence and watch the flames of the fire dance in the air. Somehow, the thought of tomorrow was easier to bear now when he was no longer alone. Eventually, however, the two broke apart, each seeking their bed and some sleep.

Pausing in the doorway, glancing back at the blond standing in the middle of the floor, looking despondent and alone, Severus asked, "Say, Lucius, how do you feel about daughters?"

Lucius gave his mate a startled look, but then the Knut dropped and he doubled over in laughter. Feeling smug, happy to have made his love's heart brighter, Severus made his way down to his quarters, even going so far as to humming softly under his breath. Life was good, and the Fates willing, this night was the last time he slept alone in a cold, empty bed.

* * *

**Next Time:**  
The boys, with the help of Lucius and Severus,  
ensures that Dumbledore is busy and can't  
interfere with the older men's freedom and  
bonding. Hogwarts watch out!  
Until then… 


	66. Operation Distracting Dumbledore

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter.

* * *

**_Operation Distracting Dumbledore.  
_****_Friday, Sep. 20_**

Albus Dumbledore was in a foul mood when he entered the Great Hall the next morning. If it wasn't for the fact that he didn't want to cause unnecessary worries among the students, then he would have holed himself up in his office until he had found a way to remove the blasted jinx, hex, curse, _whatever_ that he was currently under.

Glaring darkly at Harry, who was sitting at the Gryffindor table looking innocent while eating his breakfast and chatting away with Neville Longbottom, Albus swore to get even with the brat. Harry Potter might be the hero of the wizarding world, but that did not mean that he was allowed to play pranks on innocent people. And being the only one capable of defeating Tom Riddle did not give him leave to prank the Headmaster of Hogwarts!

No, the boy was dangerously out of control, and unless he agreed to remove the spell this very morning, then Draco Malfoy would be sent from the castle before the insolent brat could blink! And if Albus had his way, the Veela would spend his time locked up in the deepest dungeon possible until such a time that Harry came back to his senses.

To think that he had actually thought it a good thing that Harry was the mate of Draco Malfoy. For years, Albus had tried to get people to see that the Purebloods were more trouble than they were worth. The Muggleborns were much more manageable, not to mention that they listened to him when he offered advice, something none of the old families wanted to do. This would serve them all as a lesson; you did not snub your nose at Albus Dumbledore, Supreme Mugwump and Chief Warlock, no sir, you most certainly did not! He was going to show that young upstart who was the master of the castle.

"Albus, are you feeling all right?"

Albus started at the unexpected question that interrupted his internal plotting of revenge. Turning to his right he looked into Minerva's concerned eyes. "I'm fine my dear," Albus said, dredging up a smile from somewhere.

"You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?" Minerva asked, eyeing the Headmaster with a worried frown. "For that matter, what possessed you to dress like that? I must say that your normal, more… flamboyant style of dress actually is to prefer to that… I actually lack words," Minerva said, eyeing Dumbledore's black robes with a disapproving eye. "Or did you lose a bet with Severus?" she added, her eyes lightening up in merriment at the thought. "But don't you think colouring your hair and beard black as well was going a bit too far?"

"I most certainly did not," Albus said with a sneer, feeling highly insulted. "No, I'm under some sort of curse. Or possible a hex or a jinx," he reluctantly added.

"Oh? Who would dare cursing you? It isn't anything harmful is it?" Minerva asked, growing concerned again.

"No, at least, we don't think it is. Poppy is researching possible cures as we speak. I was cursed late last night, but we have been unable to determine just what spell was used," Albus was forced to reveal, not liking to admit that he didn't know something. He had a reputation for being omnipotent, and he enjoyed that reputation far too much to deliberately do something that would damage it. At least the school nurse had been able to remove the muting hex. Albus shuddered to think what would happen if he had to endure that humiliation on top of everything else going on.

"If Poppy can't identify the spell then it is serious," Minerva commented, having full confidence for the school nurse's abilities. "Have you thought of consulting St Mungo's? For that matter, do you know who it was that cursed you?" Minerva asked, before gasping, clutching at her throat. "You don't think it was the Mysterious Pranker, do you?"

"It was Harry Potter," Albus said through grinded teeth. Then he blinked. "Mysterious Pranker? What new nonsense is this?"

McGonagall shrugged her shoulders uncomfortably. "It is what some have nicknamed our mysterious Monday prankster. The name is somewhat fitting, wouldn't you say? And what makes you think that Harry is the one pranking you? Did the two of you have another argument? But why would he attack you? Harry is a nice boy; he is nothing like his father. To tell you the truth, I've always imagined that Harry would follow in James' footsteps, although Merlin knows that we didn't need another mischief maker during the Weasley twins' school years. I doubt the castle would have remained standing if the three of them had gotten into a prank war," McGonagall added, shuddering at the horrors that sprang into her mind at the mere thought.

"Trust me, Harry might look meek, but he is just as headstrong as his parents were," Dumbledore said darkly, giving Harry another glowering look.

McGonagall turned her full attention towards the Headmaster. Leaning in closer, making sure that no one could listen in on their conversation, she said, "Albus, this is a serious accusation. If you have proof that Harry pranked you, then we need to take disciplinary actions. We do not need another source for unrest, and you decked out in black like that _will_ unsettle most of the students, though I suppose we should be grateful that he didn't settle for anything more… violent," Minerva said, taking in the Headmaster's black robes, hair, and beard. "At the very least we need to force him to remove whatever spells he used on you," she added, shaking off the oddness not to see the old wizard dressed in some outrageous colour combinations.

"Believe me, Minerva, I _will_ be taking the boy to task as soon as breakfast is over. I would have cornered him earlier, but I didn't want to risk the little menace to barricade himself in his rooms. We still haven't found a way to get inside the boy's private rooms. I'm starting to think that it is a mistake to give Veelas separate quarters," Dumbledore said, conveniently forgetting that it was the door guard that was denying him entrance, and that, technically, Draco had done nothing wrong.

"Why didn't you detain Harry last night when he originally cursed you?" McGonagall asked with a frown, suddenly realising by the oddness of the entire situation.

Albus fought down a blush with some difficulty. "Mr Potter acted through an agent," he said somewhat stiffly. "There is no doubt of his guilt, however, and as I said, I will corner him the moment breakfast is over."

"Who would agree to curse you on someone else's orders? Albus, are you sure it is Harry who is behind your transformation? I don't mean to doubt you, but it just doesn't sound like the Harry Potter I've come to known for the past five years," McGonagall said, feeling and sounding extremely confused.

"It wasn't Harry who pointed his wand at me, no. It is worse, Minerva, the boy sent his pet portrait to curse me," Albus said gravely, sending another disapproving glare at the black haired teen who acted as if he was unaware of the Headmaster's dark mood.

"His pet portrait…? Oh, you mean that it was Salazar Slytherin who cursed you? Then there is little hope for us breaking the curse I fear," Minerva said with a sigh. Hermione Granger was _still_ living in the stables as a donkey, and there were no signs of the spell wearing off anytime soon.

"I had hoped that Harry would come to his senses, but it is becoming quite clear to me that Harry has turned into a lose cannon, and I simply cannot allow that. Don't worry, my dear, I will make our Mr Potter see reason, and everything should be back to normal before the day is out," Albus said confidentially.

"Are you sure of that, Albus? Harry is becoming a fine young man, and I really don't think he will stand for you – or anyone else for that matter – meddling with his life. He is sixteen years old now, no matter how we sometimes don't want to see our charges grow up, and in the eyes of the wizarding world, Harry _is_ an adult," McGonagall said carefully, a sense of foreboding washing over her. She had a feeling that this would not end well. "Not to mention that he is the mate of a very protective Veela and I really can't see Draco Malfoy allowing you or anyone else to interfere with Harry's life."

"Minerva, don't be ridiculous. Harry isn't an ordinary teenager. You know very well that he is the only hope we have, and as such, he is in need of a firm hand and kind guidance if he is to fulfil his destiny. I will not allow him to throw away years of hard work and sacrifices simply because he feels rebellious. No, Harry will come to heel, or he will severely regret opposing me, his guardian. As for that little devil Draco Malfoy, he too will learn to heel to my boot or he will find that his position here at Hogwarts is not as assured as he thinks. Mate or not, Harry hasn't agreed to bond yet, and until that time _I_ am Harry's magical guardian, and no one else!" Dumbledore snapped angrily, momentarily losing control of his magic, something that hadn't happened in years if not decades.

"Albus?!" McGonagall gasped with alarm, pushing her chair back as the Headmaster's aura pulsated. The things the Headmaster had said shocked her, and Minerva found herself floundering badly, not at all sure how to respond to Dumbledore's outlandish claims. Harry had acknowledged that he was Draco's mate. That was all that was needed in the eyes of the law. No matter what Albus was telling himself, there was no way in hell that Lucius Malfoy would bow down and relinquish his guardianship of Harry back to the Headmaster.

_Not that he should do that_, McGonagall thought to herself. _Lucius is practically Harry's father-in-law, and no matter what Harry thinks, he desperately needs a father. Something that Albus can never be for him, no matter how much they wish things were differently._ She was completely unaware of just how badly things had deteriorated between the two wizards, or that Harry had never considered Dumbledore as a father figure. A kind, somewhat mad grandfather perhaps – not that Harry had much experience with them since aunt Petunia's parents were dead and Harry had no idea whether his uncle Vernon's were alive or not – but never as a father. Not that Dumbledore had ever truly encouraged such closeness between them, no matte what the wizarding world thought.

Dumbledore quickly got his temper under control, and was about to say something reassuring to his second in command when the doors to the Great Hall opened with a bang, startling everyone in the hall into silence.

"Albus Dumbledore, it has been decided that for the safety of the school a group of Aurors will be posted here at the castle. They will be staying around the clock; hopefully, this will help stave off any unruly children who are plotting to prank their peers and teachers. And should the pranks be of a more sinister nature, then they will be on sight and in position to help tracking the culprits down."

Dumbledore could only stare dumbly at speaker, wondering just when that decision had been made and why in the name of Merlin he hadn't been informed of it in private. Better yet, why hadn't he been called to the meeting so that he could give his input on the matter? The last thing they needed right now was a bunch of Aurors poking their noses where they did not belong.

"Just on whose authority are you acting, Auror Dawlish?" Dumbledore eventually asked, pulling himself up to his full height, doing his best to ignore the sea of black he was currently decked out in.

"On the Minister of Magic's, Headmaster," Dawlish replied, standing just as tall and proud.

"Oh? I was unaware that Cornelius had been released from St Mungo's? I thought he was still being monitored for poisons and other sinister Potions?" Dumbledore said, adopting a concerned air with some difficulty. For some reason he was having trouble controlling his emotions this morning.

"He is," Dawlish said shortly. "But that doesn't mean that the Minister is unable to make decisions. It is suspicious that the Minister collapsed only minutes after he arrived at this school. Can we really take the chance that something ominous is not out to harm the children?" he asked, knowing fully well that he had backed Dumbledore into a corner.

"I doubt the Minister's collapse had anything to do with Hogwarts," Dumbledore replied, not about to allow panic to breakout among the children. "But it _is _better to be safe then sorry, I am sure. Very well, I will have the house-elves prepare quarters for you and your men. And you are of course welcome to join us at the Head Table for a spot of breakfast. Come, there are plenty enough for us all," Albus said with a cheerful smile, gesturing grandly for the Aurors to approach the front of the Great Hall.

Sitting back down, the Headmaster was grateful for the distraction caused by the owls arriving just then to deliver mail and the _Daily Prophet_. Accepting his own copy of the newspaper, Albus scanned the Headline while sipping on his tea, ending up spraying the content of his drink all over the front page.

_**Strange happenings at Hogwarts!  
**__**By Rita Skeeter.**_

_It has come to this reporters attention that strange and mysterious things are happening at Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry. It all began several weeks ago, when on a peaceful Monday morning the suits of armours decorating the halls of our famed school suddenly went amok and began to attack anyone and anything that moved. The students and their teachers were forced to barricade themselves in the classrooms to escape their mindless rampage. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The spell, or whatever the culprits used to animate the armours, wore off around lunchtime, causing the suits to collapse into themselves, rendering them harmless once more._

_Headmaster Dumbledore and some of his professors examined the armours but found no sign of who was behind the attack. Was it an attack engineered by You-Know-Who? Or was it a schoolboy prank? No one knows for sure. This reporter finds it a bit disturbing, however, that no Aurors were called to help with the investigation._

_The following Monday morning the suits or armour began to move again. Fortunately, they did not attack anyone this time. Instead, they began to serenade those they met. From what I have been told they all had a rather pleasant voice and the echo effect created by their empty chests only added to the pleasure. Unfortunately, they could not agree on which song to sing so they all sang different ballads, resulting in one gigantic headache to those forced to listen._

_Once again, the effect ended at lunchtime and there were no signs of the culprit. However, once more was the decision made not to call for outside help. This reporter cannot but help wonder why ever not. What is the Headmaster of Hogwarts trying to hide?_

_The next prank was more harmless in nature. At dinner one night, every one present in the Great Hall 'birthed' a stuffed toy. I have been told that the effect of holding the toy that was thus created is similar to being hugged by your mother. _

_It may sound harmless, it might even seem helpful for those suffering from homesickness, but this reporter is wondering if this prank is the foretelling of an even sinister prank than those that has already been played on the school? Especially in the light of what other events have taken place within the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_At lunchtime yesterday the entire Slytherin Quidditch team was unexpected turned into falcons, including Draco Malfoy, the young Veela who has broken so many hearts by claiming Harry Potter for his own. Many of the students I have talked to has mentioned how cute falcon Draco looked, perched on the Boy Who Lived's shoulder. The two even went flying together while they waited for the Potion to wear off, although Harry Potter used his broom and did not sprout wings of his own. This reporter cannot help but speculate about whether our hero has an animagus form, and what type of animal he is hiding behind those oh so green eyes of his. _

_Fortunately, the students were returned to normal a few hours later with no lasting harm to their mental and physical health. On the contrary, several of the affected students expressed a wish to repeat the experience, apparently having had a fun time flying around and causing mayhem in the Great Hall while waiting for the transformation to wear off._

_The Minister of Magic chose this very day to visit the school, greatly disturbed by the reports he had been given. Our beloved Minister hadn't spent more than ten minutes inside the Great Hall before he collapsed and was forced to be rushed off to St Mungo's where he is now resting comfortably while the Healers are looking for the cause of the Minister's collapse._

_Could this matter be linked to what had happened to Professor Binns, the ghost who has been teaching History of Magic for a numerous years now? Earlier that very morning the Professor disappeared during very mysterious circumstances. _

'_We came to class as usual,' Miranda Huxler, a fourth year Hufflepuff, told me in an interview. "We were joking about how we felt it was a waste of ti__me to get out of bed only to take a nap again first thing after breakfast. But then the bell rang and everyone got quiet, turning their attention on the Professor who came sailing through the wall as he always does. Um, as he always did, I mean._

'_Anyway, the professor greeted us and we answered him back, and then he started on his lecture. He hardly spoke five words and then this blue light surrounded him and he just froze. Then this voice began to speak in some really weird language and he, that is, Professor Binns, he just vanished. He grew paler and paler and dimmer and dimmer and then there was nothing. _

'_The voice died off as well and the light disappeared. At first, we didn't know what to think, and several of us were speculating whether this was a Monday prank or not - even though it wasn't a Monday. But when nothing happened we decided to alert the Professors since none of us knew where to find the Headmaster._

'_I went to get Professor McGonagall, Morgan (Darlington) went to get Professor Snape, 'cause we figured he wouldn't bite his head off since Morgan actually is skilled at Potions, and Graham (Sullivan) went to get Professor Flitwick. They asked us what happened and then they dismissed us. Professor Dumbledore said something about a Druid ritual being used, but then we had to leave.'_

_The other students I talked to all had the same tale to tell. It was later discovered that a sapphire had been bespelled and left on the teacher's desk. Once Professor Binns began his lecture, the spell was activated and he was sent to the other side._

_Late last night Minister Fudge was kind enough to give this reporter his opinion of what is happening at Hogwarts. 'It is clear to anyone with a brain that something Dark and sinister is going on at Hogwarts at the moment', Minister Fudge said. 'There are however no reason for the parents to panic. I will station some of my best Aurors at the school and they will be sure to prevent any harm to befall any of the students. If this is a plot by You Know Who he will soon learn that we do not fear him and that his downfall is just around the corner. The Ministry are making plans as we speak to make sure that that madman's reign is all but over.'_

_I am sure my readers are just as relieved as I am that the Minister of Magic is on top of things. This reporter will keep the readers of this paper updated on these mysterious happenings._

Albus Dumbledore didn't think he had ever been this angry before. It was taking all of his willpower not to wad the infuriating newspaper into a ball and set it on fire. How dare that Skeeter woman make it sound as if he didn't know what he was doing? How dare she conspire with that imbecile Fudge and make him appear as if he needed the Minister of Magic to hold his hand? It was he, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore who helped and supported the Ministry, _not_ the other way around. Just wait until he found out who was behind these so-called pranks. He would make them rue the day they even thought of messing about with his school!

"Albus? Are you all right? Albus? Albus! Snap out of it!" Minerva McGonagall had watched in growing alarm as the Headmaster grew more and more agitated, feeling helpless as what to do about it. It was not like Dumbledore to not being able to control himself, his emotions, and his magic. It was very clear that something was horrifically wrong, but what? She was just about to summon Poppy when a shrill scream was coming from the other side of the hall.

"I'm going to get you for this, Potter!"

"Me? What have I done?" Harry asked, looking up in confusion, searching for the source of the scream. When his eyes landed on Pansy Parkinson, Harry was forced to bite his lip and look away. The potion had apparently chosen now to wear off, and Pansy was swimming in Ron's clothes, while Ron was looking rather red around the ears.

"That is not a good look on the Weasel," Draco murmured quietly, taking in the redhead's exposed skin. Without Granger to help him dress, Ron had followed the road of less effort and had simply used the clothes Parkinson had provided him. Considering that the girl opted to wear the tightest, most revealing clothes possible, far more was seen of Weasley than anyone was happy with.

Before Harry could make a comment, Pansy started screaming again. This time there was a good reason behind her screams. Standing beside her was a dragon. It wasn't a Hungarian Horntail, and it wasn't a Norwegian Ridgeback either. It was standing a proud 5 feet and it was covered in scales the same colour as the famous Weasley hair.

Draco muttered not so quietly, "Figures that he'd be coloured as the Gryffindor he is."

Ginny looked sharply at the blond and asked menacingly, "Did you do that?"

Draco snorted and gave the redhead a dark look. "No, I most certainly did not," he said with a sniff. Technically, he was speaking the truth. Severus was the one who had brewed the potion and Dobby was the one who had distributed it.

"Get that… animal away from me!" Pansy screamed, effectively brining everyone's attention back to her. Ron the dragon seemed to find Pansy very appealing, and he had thrust his snout into the girl's neck, breathing deeply while making soft, crooning sounds. Pansy did not seem to appreciate the attention since she was now screaming bloody murder, ineffectually attempting to push the snout away from her.

"Huh, it would seem that Ron is more interested in Pansy than he's let on. Go figure," Harry said with a careless shrug.

Ginny opened her mouth to berate the brunet, but her attention was diverted when Pansy's latest scream was cut of mid-scream. At the bottom of the Great Hall there were now two dragons standing side by side. The newest dragon was slightly smaller than the first one, her scales a beautiful golden colour. Furthermore, as a dragon Pansy didn't seem to be as repulsed by Ron's advances as she had been in human form.

"Albus! You have to do something!" McGonagall hissed, taking in the actions of the dragons with growing alarm.

"Yes, yes, of course. Um, Hagrid, would you mind keeping an eye on them until such a time that we have had a chance to cancel the spell they are under?" Dumbledore asked, unable to take his eyes away from the two creatures that were now curled up around each other, crooning happily, small tendrils of smoke coming from their nostrils. Dragons?! Whose idea of a joke was this?! Biting back the urge to rub at his temples, Albus could feel a migraine coming on with alarming speed.

"Don't you worry none, Professor, I'll take really good care of them," Hagrid promised, a happy gleam in his eyes.

"But how are you going to get them out of the hall without anyone getting hurt?" McGonagall asked, eyeing the two dragons nervously. After her many years as a teacher she was used to the stranger happenings that could happen when you were dealing with magical children. But not even her many years with both the Marauders and the Weasley twins had prepared her for this!

"Ah… no worries, Professor," Hagrid repeated, summoning a house-elf. "I happen to know that dragons are right partial to brandy. Hopefully we will not need to add chicken blood, but I'm sure the house-elves will be able to help with that if needed," the half-giant said reassuringly, never noticing the green taint many of his colleagues obtained hearing that.

"I'm certain that we can trust you to deal with this," Minerva said faintly, refusing to think closer at what Hagrid had said.

Just then an eager house-elf appeared, levitating a casket of brandy. Hagrid easily picked it up and smashed the lid in. Starting down the isle, he splashed some of the liquid onto the floor, calling to the dragons in a crooning voice, getting an immediate response. But not from Ron and Pansy.

Both Albus and Minerva could only look on in dismay as professors Vector and Sinistra were transformed into dragons as well, one an electric blue while the other was midnight blue, almost black.

"Oh, dear," Minerva muttered, watching in dismay as the two professors crowded around Hagrid, almost fighting each other to be the first to get a mouthful of the treat he was offering. The good thing was that the commotion roused Ron and Pansy, the bad thing was that the dragons in their agitation was beginning to breathe fire. Just small flickers of flames, but everyone watching was convinced that the animals were capable of much worse.

"This joke has gone on long enough!" Albus thundered, shooting out of his chair and slamming his fist down onto the tabletop. "I demand that the guilty party step forward immediately and undo the magic they have placed on their fellow students and teachers!"

No one moved. Half the students didn't even dare to breath. Everyone present could feel in their very bones that something big was about to happen, and no one wanted to miss it.

"I thought you said you had everything under control, Headmaster?" Dawlish said mildly, earning himself a Death Glare of considerable magnitude from Dumbledore.

Albus was about to dress the impudent Auror down when the doors to the Great Hall was slammed open and a group of white robed people came marching in, their hoods effectively obscuring their faces. Those striding confidentially at the front were carrying ornate spears with deadly looking points, while those flanking them were wearing wicked looking swords. The rearguard was carrying bows that looked just as deadly as the swords and the spears.

"Now who do you think they are?" Harry asked softly, eyeing the intruders with curiosity and apprehension. Something was telling him that things were not going to go as planned.

"I have a feeling I know," Draco said softly, not sounding as if he wanted his hunch confirmed, never taking his eyes off from the figures standing in the middle of the protective circle.

"Who are you who dare come in here carrying arms?" Dumbledore asked, incensed. His already short temper only grew shorter at this blatant display of disrespect towards him and his school.

"Albus Dumbledore, you are being called before the court to be held responsible for your actions," one of the hooded people said in a ringing voice, making it clear to everyone present that the speaker was female.

"Who are you issuing such a summon while hiding behind hoods?" Albus asked scornfully. "Identify yourself, or be evicted as the intruders you are," he added boldly, causing many of the students - mainly the Gryffindors and the Hufflepuffs - to look at him adoringly and with admiration.

"The summon is issued on _my_ authority, Albus Dumbledore. Do you deny my right to do so?" a chilly voice asked. The speaker took a step forward, throwing the hood of their robe back proudly, revealing a regal figure with silvery-blonde hair, staring the Headmaster challenging in the eyes.

"Queen Shayell!" Dumbledore whispered, looking like he had just taken a punch to the gut.

* * *

**Next Time:  
**Operation Distracting Dumbledore will continue.  
Albus sure is in for a rough ride, snicker.  
Until then… 


	67. Will Plans Ever Go As Planned!

_Will Plans __Ever__ Go As Planned?!_

Draco had been sitting next to Harry, having a great time snickering as the events unfolded before him. Whoever had dreamed up the potion that turned humans temporarily into dragons had been a genius! And Severus was one too, since he had managed to correctly brew the insanely difficult recipe.

It surprised him a little that Weasley and Parkinson made such cute dragons, considering that they had nothing speaking for them in their human form, but at least it was an improvement. Shrugging his shoulders, Draco lost interest in the passing thought. There were other, much more interesting things to think about, after all.

When the doors to the Great Hall was slammed open, the Veela tensed, prepared to defend his mate if the need should arise. Feeling the aura of one of the strangers, Draco found himself relaxing, and he couldn't understand why.

Then the stranger revealed themselves, and Draco felt his eyes widen in a mix of horror and gratitude. The Veela Queen was here? Now?!

Regaining his senses, Draco swiftly rose to his feet, stepping forward until he was at the correct distance from his queen. Immediately he dropped down on one knee, bowing his head submissively, silently cursing that he hadn't thought to teach Harry what to do when greeting the Queen of the Veela. But how was he supposed to have known that she would appear here?!

Then his father was at his side, and then the Queen was commanding them to rise, and Draco could only hope that Shayell would have mercy and not punish them for any slight caused by Draco's mate.

Then there was a roar; shouting, and pandemonium broke out, leaving Draco confused and on edge. This was _not_ how they had envisioned how this day would go.

HPDM

Harry had also been sitting at the Gryffindor table, having a grand time watching as Ron and Pansy was turned into dragons. Things turned even more hilarious when the teacher joined in the fray, climbing themselves and poor Hagrid in their eagerness to get to the treat the half-giant was holding.

Unfortunately, most of Harry's amusement died when the doors to the Great Hall were slammed open and armed strangers marched into the room. Eying the group, Harry was fairly certain that they weren't Death Eaters. Voldemort seemed to favour black, and Harry didn't think he was about to change his minions' dress code from black to white. Then again, the monster was insane so you never could know for sure what he would do next.

Then one of the spokesmen for the group pulled back her hood and things got confusing fast. Draco paled and swiftly rose to his feet, moving towards the woman with alacrity. Harry felt even more confused when the blond teen kneeled before the female, bowing his head.

It wasn't until then that Harry realised that the woman had to be the Veela Queen. Not liking how vulnerable Draco was in that position, Harry swiftly rose to his feet as well, stepping forward until he was on Draco's left side and one step behind, keeping a watchful eye for any dangers, be it from the students, teachers, or from the group of strangers, only acknowledging the Queen with a swift yet respectful bow.

Then Lucius was kneeling next to his son, murmuring a greeting to his Queen, with Severus standing next to him, mirroring Harry's watchful stance.

_Huh? What the... What is going on here? I'm guessing that I'm at least is doing something right if Severus is also standing guard over his Veela,_ Harry thought in confusion.

Smiling brightly, Shayell stepped forward, holding her hands out towards her subjects. Two of her favourite subjects at that. "Rise, my children. Grant me the pleasure to seeing your faces," Shayell said, pressing a kiss to first Lucius' brow and then Draco's.

Giving the two mates standing guard over her subjects a bright smile, Shayell placed a delicate hand over each Malfoy's heart, reciting to them the blessing of old, showing the world that the two blonds had her approval.

Suddenly, there was an angry roar, and the blessing was rudely interrupted when the two mates showed their Veela forward, into their Queen, and the group fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs. The situation was only further complicated when Severus ended up on top of them, and Shayell felt her temper rise.

Then the Elven guards shouted an incantation, and Shayell couldn't help but wonder who or what they were attempting to turn into a sculpture of ice, and why. By the moon, what was going on here?!

"Shayell, are you all right? The fire didn't touch you, did it?" Silverwind asked in concern, holding out a hand to help her back on her feet.

Accepting the hand held out to her, Shayell shakily rose to her feet, shaken by what had happened, but not actually hurt. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, Shayell looked around the room, trying to understand what had happened.

HPDM

Harry watched with tender eyes as the Malfoys were greeted by their Queen. He didn't know a thing about Veela court etiquette, but he had a feeling that what was happening was a good ting.

Sensing a disturbance in the air, Harry causally shifted his stance so that he could comfortably check out what was happening behind him, biting back a snigger at the sight of the coal black dragon sitting in Dumbledore's chair. For a brief moment, green eyes met with blue, and Harry was astonished to see the pure _hatred_ shining deep within Dumbledore's eyes.

Leaping onto the High Table, dragon Dumbledore opened his mouth and spat out a gigantic flame of hot fire at Harry, who momentarily froze in horror, realising that the flame would first hit Draco and Lucius before impacting with himself.

Acting on pure instinct, Harry gave a shout as he stepped forward, pushing Draco as hard as he could, sending him sprawling forward towards the ground, taking the queen with him. Beside him, Severus was doing the same to Lucius, ensuring that the Veela were safe from the approaching fire.

Giving the prickly Potions master a nod of thanks, Harry groaned in annoyance as the stupid bastard stepped forward, placing himself between Dumbledore's fire and Harry. Not about to accept Snape's sacrifice - idiot man, had he _any_ idea what that would do to Lucius?! Harry swiftly stepped to the side and body slammed Severus, unconsciously using his magic to ensure that the Potions master was moved out of harm's way.

Snape fell on top of the Veela pile, and Harry allowed himself a smug smile of success. The smile was brief, however, since the dragon's fire was now upon him and Harry could feel the immense heat coming from the flame. Closing his eyes, pulling his magic up in hopes that it could offer him some protection, Harry held his breath and waited.

Then several voices called out something in a language Harry didn't know, but that sounded vaguely familiar somehow, and a surge of magic rushed passed him. Opening an eye cautiously, Harry could only gape in shock as the dragon flame hung suspended in the air, looking like it had been turned into a giant, flame shaped ice block.

The then ice fell to the floor, shattering into a million pieces that melted away into nothing before they could hit anyone. Shaking his head in bewilderment, Harry could only stare dumbly at the space where the flame had been, wondering what the heck had just happened and how in the world he had escaped a serious injury.

Then Draco was there, hugging the stuffing out of him, babbling in desperation between frantic kisses, and Harry found himself too busy calming his Veela to have time to wonder what the hell was going on.

"My Queen, I believe a change of venue would be beneficial," Lucius said, acting all dignified, which he pulled off surprisingly well considering his rumpled state. Having ended up in a human pile had not been good for the blond's clothes, and he, and Draco, looked decidedly dishevelled.

"I believe you are correct, my old friend," Shayell said, looking at the pandemonium still going on around her. The students were panicking, putting themselves in danger as the dragons became agitated and twitchy.

Half of the staff was panicking as well, being utterly useless when it came to regaining some order. The half of the staff that was still functioning, despite the startling events taking place, were having little progress calming the students or getting the dragons out of the school.

Shayell's right eye twitched when one of the dragons spat a flame of fire at another dragon who had managed to get into the casket of brandy Hagrid was holding, causing some of the content to spill on the floor.

Gathering her magic, the Veela queen let it lose in one mightily whoosh, effectively ensnaring every human in the Great Hall. It was with some amusement that the Queen noticed that the dragons were effected as well, proving that they were not true dragons, since a true dragon was utterly immune to the Veela allure.

"Now that I have your attention," Shayell said ironically, arching a queenly eyebrow at the foolish humans. "How about acting with some decorum?"

"Prefects, lead the students to your common room. Move in an orderly fashion," Severus barked, effectively taking control. "You do not want to set the dragons off again, now do you? Classes will be cancelled for the morning.

"To ensure that you do not get into mischief while the staff attempt to sort out this mess, you will each write a three foot long essay to be handed in tomorrow. You may select topic and subject yourself-"

Breaking off as he heard the collective groan coming from the student body, Severus bent his most foreboding eyebrow at the lot. "Would you prefer that I select the topic for you?" he asked sardonically, smirking at the reactions his question received. "Then you are dismissed. One final thing. You do _not_ want to find out what kind of detention I will dream up if anyone should cause any troubles," Severus added, donning his most evil look as he conveyed just how serious he was about this.

Subdued, the students immediately began to leave the Great Hall in an orderly fashion. No one wanted to draw the attention of Snape, none of them wanted to find out what kind of disgusting detentions that scary mind could come up with if they misbehaved. They were so cowed that they didn't even dare whisper among themselves, causing them to walk the corridors of Hogwarts in utter silence, a first for the school.

Only after they were safely ensconced in their common room, far away from Snape's attention, did the children break out into an excited chatter; everyone wanting to discuss what had happened with their friends, comparing every last detail they could remember of the eventful morning.

HPDM

"Gentlemen, an explanation would be most welcome," Shayell said, giving the two Malfoys a pointed look, not about to be put off a moment longer.

"As you wish, my Queen," Lucius said, bowing deeply towards the ruler of his people.

"Oh, stop that!" Shayell snapped, her right eye twitching again. "There is no need to stand on ceremony, and well you know it, Lucius Malfoy!"

Lucius smirked towards his queen, but then he settled deeper into his seat on the sofa, wrapping an arm around Severus and pulling him as close as he could, still shook up over the close call earlier. It was only just sinking in that he could have lost his mate.

"I am fine, beloved," Severus murmured softly, wanting to sooth his Veela, but not about to put forth some show of affection in public. Not with the Veela queen and her guards present in the room. Then there were the stranger and _their_ guards loitering about. No, Severus was not about to show his tender side to this lot.

Smiling gently at his mate, Lucius reached up and placed a hand on Severus' cheek, drawing strength from the love shining in deep within black eyes. Nodding his head, he acknowledge that they were both alive and unharmed.

Drawing a deep breath, Lucius turned back towards the impatiently waiting ruler, knowing that he was walking on shaky ground not acknowledging her wish for answers. Shayell was a fair queen. One of the best the Veela nation had had in their long, lustrous history. But she could be pushed only so far before losing her legendary temper. And considering that they were safely tucked away in Draco's and Harry's private suite where no prying eyes or ears could reach them...

"My son's mate found a way to remove our Dark Marks, my Queen. A problem I know have occupied some of your finest researchers," Lucius said, figuring that was as good a starting point as any.

Shayell turned her eyes away from the blond and looked at the boy that had managed to catch Draco Malfoy's attention. Everyone knew who Harry Potter was. Still, it had surprised her when he had been so willing to lie down his life for her subjects. That showed a true, unselfish nature, something she hadn't thought someone of the Boy Who Lived's status capable of.

Many were those who had fallen into the trap of notoriety and fame, and Harry Potter was but a child. A child who didn't benefit from parental guidance. How had he managed to remain humble despite the fame the wizarding world had heaped upon him since he was fifteen months old?

And how, by the stars, had said child found a way to remove the Dark Mark? A question that had baffled some of her finest people since the moment they learned of the fate that had befallen one of their own.

Unaware of the confusion the queen was feeling, Lucius went on with his explanation. "The ritual is scheduled to take place tomorrow, and to ensure that Dumbledore can't put his beak into our business and... _meddle_," the look on the blond's face was one of profound distaste as he recalled their recent dealings with the master meddler.

"To make absolute certain that Dumbledore would be kept busy elsewhere, we came up with the idea of turning him and a few other key individuals into miniature dragons. That way the Headmaster would be kept from under our feet without any harm befalling either him or us.

"Although it would seem that something went wrong with our calculations," Lucius added somewhat ruefully, unable to suppress a shiver as he recalled how close to a painful death they had come.

"The potions we used cannot be countered by any means. It will have to wear off on its own. This should happen sometime around noon on Monday," Severus cut in, a truly wicked little smirk playing on his lips, causing Shayell and Silverwind to break into grins. This was excellent news, since it meant that they had plenty of time to come up with a workable plan of what to do next.

"I commend you on finding a safe way to keep Dumbledore out from under your feet," Shayell said, her eyes dancing with amusement at the memory of the prestigious Headmaster being turned into a rather adorable little dragon.

"However, there is one thing I find puzzling. Albus Dumbledore is renowned for his calm. It is grossly out of character for him to lose control the way he did. Is that a side effect of the potion used to transform him? Should I post some of the guards near where they are keeping the dragons, just to be on the safe side?"

"No, the potions would only change their bodies. Perhaps lower their inhibitation a little, but there shouldn't be any large changes of their personality. We wanted to keep Dumbledore and some of his people away, but we didn't want to actually harm anyone doing so," Severus said in explanation.

"Oh no!" came Harry's horrified whisper, causing everyone to turn their attention to the black haired teenager.

"Harry?" Lucius asked, growing concerned when he noticed just how pale the boy had become.

Instead of giving a reply, the teen slithered out of Draco's arms, all but sprinting towards his bedroom.

"Harry?" Draco called after him, getting to his own feet with alacrity, intent on following his clearly distraught mate.

Before he had time to do so, however, Harry reappeared in the doorway, a stricken look on his face as he cradled something close to his chest. "I'm so sorry, Draco. This is all my fault."

Draco blinked in confusion, but then he recognised the object Harry was holding, and everything suddenly made perfect sense. "No it isn't!" Draco hissed, walking swiftly to where his mate was standing, enveloping him into a fierce embrace.

"Draco?" Lucius asked in concern, sensing that something important was going on, but not having the slightest cue as to what. Clearly, the boys had been up to mischief they hadn't bothered to inform their guardians about.

Draco ignored his father, too focused on his mate to really have time for his sire. "You couldn't know that Dumbledore would scarf them down like that, Harry. I was there, remember? We figured he would eat them slowly over the next week or so. We certainly didn't figure he would eat them all in one day!"

"Draco?" Lucius asked, walking over to the boys, allowing a note of authority to creep into his voice. He needed answers before he could take action, and Draco better not ignore him again.

"You used the potion, didn't you?" Severus asked, understanding dawning on the Potions master.

Lucius, starting to feel truly irritated by the cryptic statements being thrown around the room, turned slightly so that he could give his mate an irritated look. "What potion? What have the three of you done now?" he asked, starting to get peeved.

Harry didn't reply verbally, but everyone in the room could see the nod he offered in answer to Snape's question.

"Yes we did. We didn't think there would be any harm setting the prank up now," Draco said in defiance, tightening his grip on his mate, his eyes promising retribution to anyone daring to contradict him.

"What exactly does this potion do?" Silverwind asked curiously, still safely hidden behind his hood. Now that he was in the same room as his grandson, the Elven king found himself somewhat reluctant to reveal himself. He yearned to take the boy into his arm and into his home, but the youth had already shown that he refused to allow anyone to rule him. Just as his mother had done...

With a shake of his head, Silverwind forced himself out of his memories and back to the present as the teens finally began their explanation.

Knowing that they would have quite a lot of swift talking to do, Draco reluctantly let go of Harry and all but dragged him back to the sofa. Sitting down, Draco yanked the other teen down to sit next to him.

Harry, who had been distracted by his morose thoughts, were taken by surprise by Draco's move, and he landed half on half off the Veela's lap with a soft 'oomph'.

Draco immediately took advantage of the situation, and promptly shifted his mate until he was sitting across his lap, held close by the blond's strong arms.

Harry thought about complaining. But in truth, he found Draco's embrace to be rather soothing, so he reluctantly remained where he was, even though he was positive that his current position wasn't very dignified.

"It is all my fault that Dumbledore lost control of his temper like that, Harry said, getting the ball started. Before he could say anything else, Draco hissed and silenced him with a kiss.

"None of that, my love," he admonished gently once he had released his mate's lips. "If you insist on taking the blame for the Headmaster's gluttony, then you need to let me share that guilt."

When Harry tried to interrupt, Draco adopted his most haughty air and stared his mate down with ease. "Just who was it that brewed the potion we used?" he drawled when it looked like Harry was going to be stubborn about this.

"Just what does this potion do?" Shayell asked, intrigued by the actions taking place between the two mates.

Turning his attention towards the queen, Draco sighed softly and hugged his love closer. "Harry learned of a potion that enhances the drinker's mood. If you are in a good mood the potion will boost that good mood, making you almost giddy with happiness. If, however, you are in a bad mood, the potion will increase that bad mood until you are all but furious.

"The potion doesn't change your mood, it is in no way Dark in nature. It just... increases what is already there," Draco said, searching for the right words to describe the effects of the potion Harry had found in the Black library.

"How did you manage to feed this potion to the Headmaster?" Shayell asked, a calculated gleam appearing in her eyes.

"Harry found a way to link this bowl to the bowl the Headmaster keeps his blasted sweets in," Draco said, beaming with pride at his mate's deviousness, gently wrestling the bowl said mate was still clutching, holding it up as proof of his words.

Shayell held out her hand and Draco levitated the bowl over to her, allowing her to examine it. "There are no spells on the bowl, other than a simple transportation spell," the queen reported once she had examined it thoroughly, handing the bowl over to Silverwind who also began to examine it curiously.

Draco barely refrained from rolling his eyes. Why in Salazar's name would they want to curse the bowl? The bowl wasn't important. Its content was.

"We laced a bag of lemon drops with the mood enhancer, making sure to only place one small drop of the potion on each piece, since we didn't want to risk overdoing the old coot." Draco's voice fairly dripped with scorn as he thought of the Headmaster.

Gesturing towards the bowl, he continued, "Last night, that thing was filled to the brim with lemon drops. This morning, as you can see, there are only three of those drops left. Dumbledore must have wolfed them down at an alarming rate for them to have disappeared that swiftly. Especially if you take into consideration that it is completely random whether he gets a tempered sweet or not."

Draco shook his head in amazement. He had never understood how anyone could eat the blasted things. The taste was horrid, and they left an after burn on the tongue that was simply appalling. And he had understood even less how Dumbledore could eat them with such delight. The man was forever sucking away on one. It was almost as if he was addicted to the horrible things.

"When we used the bowl before – Harry transfigured some of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans to look like lemon drops. Only using the nasty tasting ones, of course," Draco said with a smirk, eliciting chuckles from the two royal visitors. "It took the Headmaster several days to go through the content of the bowl. I honestly cannot understand how he managed to empty that thing over night. But it does explain why he lost his cool so completely that he attempted to fry his Golden Boy to a crisp," Draco said thoughtfully, tightening his grip on his mate as he recalled how close he had been to lose his love to death.

Lucius merely shook his head. He had known the boys were up to something, but he'd have no idea they had concocted something this complex yet simple. The way they had managed to tamper with Dumbledore's beloved sweets were just ingenious. Not to mention utterly Slytherin.

Their prank had a lot of merit. If they could make Dumbledore appear less than stable, it should be possible to cause people to finally start questioning the decisions the Headmaster had been making of late.

Dumbledore's self-control was legendary, and if the aged wizard suddenly appeared to have problems keeping that control... Yes, the boys plan truly was ingenious. It was unfortunate that their idea had backfired so spectacularly. But like Draco had said, how were they to know that Dumbledore would eat that many lemon drops in that short amount of time? Perhaps the jokes about the blasted tings rotting the old man's brain weren't so far off from the truth after all? Sharing a glance with Severus, Lucius could only shake his head at Dumbledore's folly.

Noting Harry's distress, suddenly realising that the boy truly felt that he was to blame for the disaster that had taken place in the Great Hall, Lucius rose to his feet and moved over to the sofa where the boys were sitting.

Dropping down onto one knee, Lucius reached out and gently took hold of the Elf's chin, turning his head so that he was looking at Lucius. "Loveling, this was not your fault," he chided lightly, not surprised to see only disbelief in the startling green eyes.

"It truly isn't, Harry," Lucius stated firmly yet kindly, letting go of the proud chin so that he could run the back of his fingers across Harry's cheek. "Your prank was not malicious. In fact, I find it ingenious, and I can think of several ways we could have utilised it to lessen Dumbledore's influence in the wizarding world."

Harry couldn't help but snort as he heard those words. They were so utterly _Malfoy_.

Lucius smirked and gave the teen a saucy wink. "Quite right," he said, having a good guess what was running through the teen's mind. "Do you see? You had a good idea. It is not your fault that Dumbledore can't keep from over indulging himself."

"But-"

"No, Harry, there are no buts," Lucius said firmly. "Yes, you planned on pranking the Headmaster. Yes, the prank backfired spectacularly, but. It. Was. Not. Your. Fault. The blame lies entirely with Albus Dumbledore. Do not accept blame that does not belong to you, Dearheart."

Harry searched the blond's eyes, wanting desperately to believe him, but years of being held responsible the moment something went wrong were hard to overcome. Finding only earnestness in the silver eyes that were so alike his mate's, Harry found it difficult not to believe.

Needing reassurance still, Harry turned his head to look at Severus, trusting that Snape wouldn't sugar-coat the truth in some misguided attempt to spare his feelings.

"Lucius is telling you the truth, Harry," Severus said calmly, giving the insecure teen a small, reassuring smile. "I have been after Albus for years about his addiction to those sweets of his. He always refused to listen. Maybe after this, he will take a bit more care about the things he put into his stomach."

The righteous look on the Potions master's face along with the tone he used caused Harry to burst into laughter.

Wiping a few tears away, Harry gathered himself with some difficulty since he tended to break out into sniggers every time he noticed the Potions master. "I want to believe you, but the fact remains that it was my idea. Yes, Draco, I know it was you who brewed the potion we used, but it _was_ my idea, making it my responsibility."

Lucius and Draco shared a look, both shaking their heads at the Elf's stubbornness.

"You have used that bowl before, haven't you? And it wasn't immediately emptied, was it?" Lucius asked, already knowing the answer, but it seemed that Harry needed to be reminded of those facts yet again.

"Yeah, we did. And no, it didn't," Harry replied reluctantly, before sighing gustily. "But I should have remembered that plans have a tendency to go pear shaped whenever I am involved. Something old snake face can attest to," he added with a smirk.

The three Slytherins snorted at that all too accurate observation.

"Even so, Albus wasn't changed so much by the potion you used that it excused him losing control the way he did," Severus said succinctly. "If you recall, I helped Draco brew the mood enhancer. I had a fairly good idea who you were going to use it on, and I still helped him make it. If you insist on assigning blame for Albus' abysmal self-control, then you need to allow me to carry some of the guilt as well.

"And do not think that we will not have words about your actions this morning, young man," Severus added, giving the teen a glowering look. The boy had got to stop giving in to his Gryffindorish tendencies. He was no longer alone. He was Draco's mate. Didn't he realise just how devastated Draco would be if something happened to him?

"But you didn't have anything to do with this," Harry immediately insisted. "And what did you expect me to do? Allow you to just stand there and getting roasted by Dumbledore?! Have you _any_ idea what that would do to Lucius?" Harry demanded, starting to get angry with the snarky git.

"And what would happen to Draco if any harm was to befall _you_?" Severus retorted, upping his glower.

Harry looked uncomfortable and moved to get off Draco's lap. The young Veela refused to allow him to move away, however, instantly tightening his grip, wondering what Harry had done now to raise Severus' ire.

Harry looked as if he was about to fight Draco's hold, but then he slumped slightly before holding himself up proudly. "I knew perfectly well what I was doing," he stated with fierce determination. "I love Draco, and yes, I knew that it would hurt him if something would happen to me.

"But he could be saved. We haven't bonded yet, and I know that there are several ways you can trick a Veela into thinking that a non-mate is their mate. Did _you_ stop think about what would happen to Lucius if _you_ were killed?" Harry asked grimly, not giving Draco a chance to respond to Harry's words, the blond teen only now realising that his mate had been willing to sacrifice his life to save Lucius' mate.

"Lucius has only just managed to free himself from Narcissa's clutches. He has been looking forward to finally being able to bond with you, his true mate. If something were to happen to you now that you are so close to being freed... He would never survive such a blow. What was I to do? Stand back and allow Draco to become an orphan? Not while there is still breath in my body!"

"Harry!" Draco gasped, emotions running rampant through his mind. He was at the same time terrified, horrified, proud, happy, and scared to death. The emotions shifted so swiftly, that it was impossible for the blond teen to get a grip on them. In the end he did the only thing he could do; hug his mate close and bury his face in the crook of his mate's neck, breathing in the scent, revelling in the fact that Harry was alive and safe.

Severus, on the other hand, looked like he was about to have an apoplectic fit, and Lucius didn't look pleased by this revelation either. He too had been unaware just how Severus had ended up in the pile with him, thinking it was just a fluke that his mate had been spared injury. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought that Harry had pushed Severus aside in an attempt to save his life, fully prepared to face the dragon flame in some misguided attempt to save them all.

"That is quite enough." Shayell's voice rang through the room, startling the combatants into silence. The Veela queen was not in the mood to act as referee between two stubborn Veela and the equally stubborn Elf. There was no mistake that this young boy was Silverwind's grandson. Only the Silver family possessed this level of stubbornness. It was easier to move a mountain than a Silver when their mind had been made up.

_I almost feel sorry for Draco. He will not lead an easy life being bonded to this boy. Then again, he will never be bored either, an emotion that tends to plague the Malfoy family. Actually, I can't wait to see how this relationship will progress. Yes, I am glad that I decided to come here. This should be a nice change to my life at court, _Shayell thought with an internal smirk before setting about redirecting everyone's attention.

"The boy acted nobly, if somewhat misguidedly. Fortunately, no one was harmed, and we can readdress this matter at a time when our emotions are not running as high as they are now."

"As you wish, my Queen," Lucius said, bowing his head in submission before getting back to his feet. He suddenly needed to be near his mate; needed to reassure himself that Severus was safe and alive, feeling decidedly unsettled by the realisation of how close he had come to losing him.

Having an idea what was running through his Veela's mind, Severus stoically allowed the arms that wrapped him up in a tight hug, allowing the matter to drop. For now.

He fully intended to ensure that Harry realised the error of his reasoning, and the glance he sent the youth conveyed his intent loudly and clearly.

Harry saw the look Snape sent him, but instead of repenting, the Elf merely thrust his chin out obstinately, the glint in his eyes telling anyone who saw it that he intended to be stubborn about his stance.

The teen was not sorry for what he had done, and if he ever ended up in a similar situation, he would act in the same way, without hesitation. Draco meant the world to him, and Harry knew how devastated he would be if something happened to his father, or to his almost-father. If his actions could do a difference, then Harry refused to stand back and watch as others sacrificed their life for him.

Yes, he was well aware that Draco would be all but crushed if something happened to him. But until they bonded, there were ways to save Draco's life if something should happen to him. True, Draco wouldn't be as happy as if he bonded with his true mate, but he would _live_. More importantly, Lucius would be there to help put his son back together again. No, Harry was not about to apologise for what he had done anytime soon. In fact, it was more probable for the devil to arrange an ice skating contest than for Harry to apologise for saving Severus' life, even if it that action _had _cost him his own life.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, what do you know, this story isn't dead after all. I hope I didn't shock you too badly with my update, lol.

So... This is what will happen. I will continue updating here until I reach a natural place to stop. I will then fully focus on updating the re-written version and follow it to the very end. Yes, I have begun to re-write this story. (The first chapter is already up.) I don't expect there to be many changes to the story line, but the early chapters will be fleshed out, rough edges smoothed over, and plot holes filled out. I hope you will read and enjoy the new version, and that you won't be too angry with me for all the delays.

Until next time,

Janara


	68. Coming Together

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harry Potter, his friends, or his enemies.

* * *

_**68 Coming Together**_

_**Friday, Sep. 20**_

"So..." Harry said when the silence in the room had begun to get to him. "How is it that you arrived so timely to save the day?"

Shayell gave the Elf a bright smile. "I was visiting with a dear friend of mine when Lucius' letter reached me. Once I was made aware of how utterly out of control matters had become here at Hogwarts I immediately packed up my bags to come here.

"How could I possibly stay away? I have never been fond of Albus Dumbledore, the man is too much of a meddler for my taste, but I never in a million years would have thought that he would actually actively attempt to interfere with a Veela bond," Shayell said, shaking her head in wonder.

This was not like the Albus Dumbledore she knew at all. Albus had never been able to keep his beak out of other people's business, but for most parts he never openly interfered with matters like this. Dumbledore usually opted to use much more subtle ways of manipulations, using a person's conscience against them. No, Albus Dumbledore was not above using guilt and misguided honour to get his way.

But to openly threaten a Veela and their bonded? Especially when the Veela in questions was a Malfoy? That didn't sound like Albus Dumbledore at all.

"Your thoughts, gentlemen? What exactly have been going on at Hogwarts for Albus Dumbledore to act so out of character? And I am not thinking of the mood enhancer you boys fed him. From what I've been told, Dumbledore's odd behaviour began long before the deplorable events of this morning," Shayell stated before Silverwind's grandson could start apologising again.

Lucius and Severus shared a look, a volume of matters being passed back and forth, before Severus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"It is my belief that Albus has become so used to meeting no resistance to his plots and plans that he is incapable of dealing with the fact that his Golden Boy no longer feels beholden to him," Severus began slowly, carefully considering what he wished to say, and how much he wanted to reveal to the visiting royal, not wanting to betray any of the things Harry had told them in confidence.

"And what happened to cause such a rift between Harry Potter and his mentor?" Shayell asked curiously. As queen of the Veela nation she made sure to be well informed of the events taking place in the wizarding world, and it was a well established fact that the Boy Who Lived was completely in Albus Dumbledore's pocket.

Clearly something monumental must have happened for the boy to break his ties to the Headmaster so completely.

Harry snorted when Dumbledore was described as his mentor. When he was younger he probably would have agreed to that description, but having spent a month with Lucius Malfoy, and to some lesser degree with Severus Snape, Harry was slowly beginning to realise what a mentor was, and Albus Dumbledore had never fulfilled that role in his life.

"You do not agree?" Shayell asked, arching an intrigued eyebrow.

"Dumbledore has never been my mentor," Harry said with conviction. "None of the professor here at Hogwarts has done anything to support me outside the classroom. Quite the opposite, actually," Harry mused, recalling the times he had gone to McGonagall for aid, never seeing the way Severus flinched at the accusation.

"As for what happened to cause such a rift between us..." Harry trailed off, staring off into space as he considered what to say, carefully weighing how much he should make known about the issues he had with the master meddler trying to rule his life.

Coming to a decision, Harry settled more comfortable in his seat and turned his full attention on the Veela queen. "It all began the night after the third task of the Triwizard tournament.

"Most think this is some resent rebellion I'm amusing myself with, but in reality it began that night. Or rather, the morning after that night," Harry admitted, noting with wry amusement that he had actually managed to surprise his three Slytherins with that admission.

"Mrs Weasley and her oldest son were allowed to stay with me in the hospital wing while I recovered from the after effects of being forced to participate in the rebirth of the Dark Lord.

"But once morning came, Mrs Weasley returned to her own family, taking Bill with her. I didn't really care since I still had my godfather with me, and I was just about to ask him to stay close to the Dursleys for a while so I could talk to him about stuff.

"But before I could even begin to work out how to ask him, Sirius informed me that he and Remus was going to head out and round up the old crowd, leaving me on my own before I could even get one word of protest out of my mouth," Harry all but snarled, forcing himself to take a moment to breathe deeply, not wanting to lose his temper now. He hadn't even _begun_ to tell his story, for Merlin's sake.

"Anyway, Dumbledore sent me back to my relatives and all but imposed an information blackout, denying me any knowledge of what was going on in the magical world.

"I had thought that things would change once I was reunited with my friends and godfather, but I swiftly learned differently. Dumbledore had ordered his Order to not 'burden' me with such knowledge, so I continued to be in the dark about what the Dark Lord and his minions were up to," Harry said, unable to keep a sneer off his face.

"Then fifth year began, and from day one Umbridge was on my case, calling me a liar to my face, subjecting me to torture just because I had the gall to tell the truth and by doing that put 'dear' Cornelius in a bad spot." Harry snorted as he recalled the simpering manners of the bitch that had made his fifth year hell.

"I guess I could have handled matters better if I had had any support from the other teachers, but McGonagall merely told me to keep my head down and my mouth shut when I approached her for help. She didn't even listen long enough to learn _why_ I was complaining about Umbridge," Harry snarled, once again being forced to take a pause to get his rising temper under control. He always felt ready to explode every time he thought about the things Umbridge had done, and on the things his other professors _hadn't_ done.

"But that is nothing, _nothing_ compared to the pain Dumbledore caused me. First, he avoids me the entire year, wouldn't even as much as look at me, causing me to think that he blamed me for Voldemort's return, why else would he suddenly refuse to acknowledge me?

"Then the mess at the Ministry happened, and it was _then_, the very night that Sirius died, that Dumbledore _finally_ told me what it was all about. True, he apologised to me, but one tiny 'I'm sorry, my boy' does not heal over a year's worth of hurt.

"I guess that in time I would have forgiven him, but when I told him that the Dursleys had tried to kill me, he did nothing. In fact, I'm not even sure he believed me," Harry huffed, feeling his emotions stir once more.

"The final straw, at least for me, was when I found out that I am Draco's mate. Dumbledore all but told me to whore myself to the Malfoys, all so that Dumbledore could have another spy in the Dark Lord's camp. He didn't care for me at all. He didn't care about my thoughts or feelings. All he cared about was getting the Malfoys to spy for him, so no, I am not Dumbledore's Golden Boy anymore. I will leave the wizarding world all together before I willingly work with that man again."

"He actually told you to whore yourself?" Shayell asked incredulous, not believing her ears.

"He wasn't that crude, but Dumbledore made it very clear to me that I should use any means at my disposal to make sure that Malfoy turned away from the Dark Lord, since it would set Tom back considerably if he was to lose his right hand man," Harry said with a shrug, no longer as bothered by that demand as he was with other things the Headmaster had said and done.

"Lucius, you are to take your son and his mate as far away from this school as possible," Shayell commanded. Giving the blond a dark look she added, "In fact, you can begin by explaining to me why you haven't already removed the boys from that infuriating man's influence.

"For that matter, why didn't you contact me immediately when you realised that a human was attempting to interfere with your son's bond?"

"Because they didn't know what Dumbledore had told me," Harry said, attempting to redirect the queen's ire away from the Malfoys. "Besides, things weren't that bad in the beginning," Harry added with a shrug.

"Nonetheless, this matter should have been brought before me the _moment_ it became clear that Dumbledore would not leave the two of you alone," Shayell stated, not about to allow a slight against her people to slide.

"Your majesty, we _did_ inform you the moment we realised just how far the Headmaster was willing to go to get his own way," Lucius said stiffly, infuriated that Shayell even dared to hint that he wasn't taking his responsibilities toward his son and his mate seriously.

"What I want to know is what you have done to punish these Dursleys who dared to attempt to kill one of my subjects," a soft voice said. The words might be softly spoken, but the fury behind them could be felt by everyone present in the room, causing the Elven guards to shift uneasily.

"The Dursleys?" Shayell echoed nonplussed, but then she recollected the words Harry had spoken so causally and she flew into a fury, rounding on the elder Malfoy, all but roaring, "WHY WAS I NOT INFORMED THAT SOMEONE HAS ATTEMPTED TO KILL THE BOY?"

Gritting his teeth, Lucius replied, "With all due respect, your majesty, but it has only been nineteen bloody days since Draco found out who his mate was." He then completely lost his temper and ended up roaring, "WHEN WAS I SUPPOSED TO HAVE THE TIME TO DEAL WITH WORTHLESS MUGGLES WHEN I HAD OTHER, MORE PRESSING, DETAILS TO ATTEND TO?"

Severus, fearing that the situation would spiral completely out of control, stepped up and placed a calming hand on the older Veela's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"My apologies, your majesty, but we simply haven't had the _time_," Lucius managed to say through gritted teeth, his hands clenching and unclenching into tight fists.

"I apologise as well," Shayell said with some difficulty, still within the grips of her fury. Not to mention that she hated apologising.

"Why don't we sit down again and you can tell us everything that has happened since the moment Draco identified his mate?" the cloaked figure said, projecting a calming aura, which helped immensely to calm the raging tempers.

"I quite agree," Severus swiftly said, steering his Veela towards the table, figuring some refreshments could only help keeping everyone's temper in check.

"Begging your pardon, sir, but who are you?" Draco asked, wrapping himself protectively around his mate, eyeing the cloaked figure with suspicion.

"My apologies, young Veela, how remiss of me. I am Silverwind, the King of the Elven realm, and that young one's grandfather," Silverwind said with a slight chuckle, pushing the hood of his cloak down before removing the cloak altogether.

"G-grandson?" Draco managed to croak before his legs gave out on him and he ended up in a heap on the floor. This was not how he had envisioned the meeting with the Elven king.

"Oh, my, that was unexpected, Silverwind commented with a chuckle, a mischievous glint dancing in his green eyes.

For a moment complete silence rang through the room, then Harry dropped to his knees pulling Draco close, eyeing the Elven king uneasily. Would he take Draco from him? Could he take Draco from him? Feeling his heart clench, Harry pulled the blond teen tighter against his chest. He would not give up what he had found with Draco, he refused.

Sensing the Elf's distress, Lucius sprang forward, placing himself protectively between the boys and the one who threatened their happiness, unaware that he was growling softly deep in his chest.

Severus rolled his eyes and stepped around the older Malfoy so that he could reach the younger one, figuring the situation would lessen somewhat if Draco was aware enough to help support his mate before he too suffered from a nervous meltdown.

Feeling his mate's distress rallied the blond teen like nothing else could and with a possessive growl Draco surged to his feet, wrapped his arms around his Elf and turned them around so that his back was to the others, adding his wings to more fully shelter his mate from those wanting him harm.

Relative or not, if the king wished to separate the two of them, then there would be hell to pay, because Draco had no intention of allowing anyone or anything to separate him from Harry. Not when the two of them had overcome so much already.

Silverwind couldn't help but chuckle when he saw the possessive gesture. Clearly a strong bond had already formed between the two of them, which was only of the good since Silvers tended to need a strong bond to prevent their magic from getting out of hand whenever emotions got high.

"Peace, my children, I have no intentions of separating you. That will only happen if I believe that there is a danger for either of you," Silverwind said, shaking his head when his words earned him twin glares. Ah, youths, they had so much to learn still.

Forcing himself out of his stupor, who would have thought that Harry Potter came from such noble blood? It couldn't be from the Potters or James would have told the entire world of his elven blood. Lily? But everyone thought her to be a Mudblood.

Shaking his head, Lucius summoned one of the house-elves from the Manor and asked, "Would you like some refreshments? It would seem we all have a story to tell and I know for a fact that our tale will take quite a while to disclose."

"I believe you are quite correct," Shayell said, eyeing the king thoughtfully. Not once had Silverwind hinted that the Elf her subject was courting was his grandson. Not sure if she should feel insulted or not, Shayell made her way to the table, requesting her favourite beverage and pastries.

HPDM

Sitting at the table, toying with a mug of hot cocoa, Harry kept shooting glances towards the Elven king. Wow, a grandfather. That was a development Harry hadn't foreseen. The teen was still uncertain whether he thought the relationship a good thing or not.

In his, admittedly, limited experience, relatives were not a good thing to have. Just look at the Dursleys and the way they had treated him for all of his life. Then again, Harry doubted very much that the Elf would treat him like a freak just because he had magic.

But grandson... How was that even possible? Did that mean that Lily had been an Elf too? But shouldn't someone have known if she'd been one? And if they'd known, then why hadn't anyone told him?

Sighing softly, Harry pushed such ponderings to the back of his mind. It was useless wondering why no one had ever told him anything. Most likely Dumbledore had some convoluted, utterly-logical-only-to-him, reason for keeping him in the dark. And considering the way Harry felt about the Headmaster these days, he wasn't about to ask the man for his reasons. Dumbledore simply didn't _matter_ anymore.

Sitting back in his chair, Harry closed his eyes and allowed Lucius' voice to wash over him and soothe him. The adult Malfoy was telling the visiting royalties about everything that had taken place since the morning in the Great Hall when Draco had finally managed to locate just who his mate was.

_Funny, but it doesn't feel like only three weeks to me. So much has happened that six months should be a much more accurate time span. Merlin, and to think that all I wanted this year was to find a way to get away from Ron and Hermione and to figure out what I wanted to do with my future._

_I should have known that the Fates wouldn't leave me alone. When have I ever had a calm, orderly existence? _Harry asked himself with a wry smile, leaning slightly into Draco's side when the blond wrapped a supporting arm around his shoulders. Feeling the other's tenseness, Harry figured Lucius was retelling something unpleasant, but he wasn't interested enough to tune in to the actual words. He had lived through that shit once, he didn't need to hear it again to remember how utterly crap his life was.

Stifling a sigh, Harry opened his eyes and regarded the Elven king with curious eyes. The king was tall, not that that was surprising. According to all the books Harry had read, Elves were a tall, regal looking people. The king fitted that description perfectly, and for a moment Harry pouted, knowing that due to the maltreatment he'd been subjected to as a child he would never achieve his proper height. Damn those Dursleys to the deepest hell.

For a moment Harry lost himself in his memories, his eyes glazing over as he felt extremely sorry for himself.

Sighing deeply, the Elf pushed the memories away and returned his attention on the king. Blushing slightly as he realised that startling green eyes were regarding him curiously.

That was one thing that connected the two of them. The king had the same jewel green eyes that Harry had. A shade of green that Harry had only ever seen in the mirror and in the photos of his mother. Making Silverwind's claim of grandfather/grandson that much more believable.

But other than the eyes, Harry couldn't see much likeness between himself and his... grandfather. The king's hair was the colour of moonbeams, and the shape of his face was totally different to Harry's as well. Although the ears were the same, but then again, how much difference was there to ears anyway?

But other than the eyes, Harry just couldn't see any family resemblance, and that bothered him a little. But it unsettled him more that he didn't know how the Elven king would react to his presence.

It _seemed_ that the king was happy to see him, but what if it was only a ruse? The Dursleys had taken pride in the fact that he didn't look anything like them. Taking it as another proof that he was nothing a normal person would ever want to associate with willingly.

The wizarding world, on the other hand, had welcomed him with open arms. But that was only because he was the Boy Who Lived. None of them cared particularly about the boy who was just Harry.

The wizards had delighted in the fact that he looked so much like his parents. It was as if, to them, James and Lily Potter weren't really gone. They could see them living through their son. Was that why no one had cared overly much about the orphan? Only seeing the parents and never the boy when they looked at him?

_Great, I'm thinking myself into a migraine! _Harry groused, reaching up to rub at a pounding temple. He had so many questions but no real answers. And he had no one he could ask. At least no one who would give him an honest answer.

Sighing, Harry closed his eyes and slouched down in his seat so that he could rest more comfortably against Draco's shoulder. The blond immediately shifted to accommodate him, tightening the arm resting around his shoulders. Smiling, Harry allowed himself to relax. At least he wasn't alone anymore. No matter what happened with his supposed grandfather, he wouldn't be alone, because the Malfoys wouldn't leave him, that, Harry was abso-posi-you better believe it certain of.

HPDM

Silverwind found his attention divided between the tale the elder Malfoy was telling and observing his grandson.

The black hair was something of a surprise, since no Silver had ever been born with black hair, which, if you considered it, was somewhat strange since over half, if not all Silvers tended to be Dark Elves. All of them certainly had the temperament of a Dark Elf, something the court officials had bemoaned more than once after butting heads with them.

_The boy has the Silver eyes, a certain indication that this is my grandson, and, if I'm not mistaken, the future king of the Elven realm. I wonder how his mate will react when he is told? For that matter, I wonder how my grandson will react when he learns of his destiny?_ Silverwind thought with an internal chuckle. _Somehow, I have a feeling that the boy will react much the way my beloved daughter reacted. But who are we to argue with Magic herself?_

Allowing his eyes to devour the young Elf sitting opposite to him, Silverwind had no difficulties picking out family traits in the child's features and posture. The slant of the eyes, the shape of the cheekbones, the stubborn jutting of the chin, and the fire banked in startling green eyes, just waiting to erupt along with the famous Silver temper, the signs were all there.

And from what his Seeker had observed, the Elf possessed the Silver stubborn conviction to do what they felt was right no matter what the cost to themselves. The very trait that had lost him Silversky. Silverwind could only hope and pray that he was not destined to lose his grandson the way he had lost his daughter.

Seeing the way the youth relaxed against his Veela mate, Silverwind felt his heart unclench. Maybe it was Magic whispering in his heart, but somehow the Elven king felt certain that the boys would be coming home with him.

Relaxing for the first time since he received the news of his grandson's attack, Silverwind allowed himself to hope that everything was going to end well.

HPDM

The more Shayell learned of the atrocities that Dumbledore had allowed to take place, the more furious she got until her magic was causing the air around her to crackle. How dared he? How _dared_ he? A bond between a Veela and their mate was sacred, and nothing, _nothing_, was allowed to interfere with it.

Magic herself dictated who was destined to be a Veela's mate, since a mate was created to be the Veela's other half. Neither man nor creature had the right to interfere with Magic's choice.

A Veela, no matter how corny it might sound, was created for love. It was in love they found the strength, and the creativity, to perform their Veela magic. But only in true love.

It had been proven time and again through the Veela people long history that every single time a Veela bond was tampered with disaster always followed. It didn't matter if the ones tampering had good intentions or not, and from a Veela point of view, the tempering was _never_ considered a good thing, misfortune _always_ followed in the wake. Some of the biggest tragedies known to wizarding kind stemmed from a Veela bond that had been prevented from developing naturally.

Surely, someone as old and wise, well, supposedly wise, as Albus Dumbledore knew this? Or was the aged wizard so blinded by his proclaimed Greater Good that he had completely lost sight of what was important?

Or had Dumbledore come to enjoy playing god so much that he no longer could help but interfere with people's lives, whether they needed to be interfered with or not?

Shaking her head, Shayell pushed those thoughts out of her mind. Dumbledore's motives didn't matter because they weren't important. What was important was to ensure that Draco Malfoy was given the option to woe his mate without outside influences. Now, how were they going to ensure that the young Veela got that opportunity?

HPDM

Lucius was glad when he finally reached the end of his long tale. So much had happened, and in such a short time too. Lucius actually found it difficult to wrap his mind around just how many events that had transpired since that fateful morning when he accompanied Draco onto platform 9 ¾. Was it truly only two and a half week ago? Well, adding the time they had waited for Harry to wake up after he'd been hit with the Cruciatus curse it had been longer, but still...

So _much_ had happened. No wonder they had barely had time to catch their breaths before the next calamity hit. The question was, Lucius mused, taking in the fury on the visiting royalties' faces, would things become easier from now on, or more complicated? Salazar knew that they didn't need _more_ complications, but somehow, Lucius just couldn't picture the nearest future as anything but turbulent.

"What plans do you have for dealing with Albus Dumbledore? And what are you going to do to punish those despicable Muggles?" Shayell asked, fire in her eyes.

"Why should you be dealing with this Dumbledore? The logical course is for the four of you to come to the Elven realm. There, after all, is where my grandson belong," Silverwind said serenely, eyeing the four in question with curiosity, wondering why they hadn't already left Hogwarts to seek sanctuary with the Veela nation.

The four shared a look while Harry shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I'd love to go to the Elven realm," Harry replied slowly when it became obvious that the others left the fielding of that thorny question to him.

"But?" Silverwind asked in amusement.

Harry couldn't help but chuckle. "But," he agreed wryly, "there is a prophecy that states that I am the only one who can defeat the Dark Lord.

"Admittedly," Harry said, making a face, "I feel no obligation to help the bastards who have turned their backs on me. There are those I counted as friends and family, people I would have gladly died for..." Harry trailed off as he was momentarily swamped with feelings of hurt and betrayal as he recalled the ones who had cast him aside.

"They don't deserve you, love, _none_ of those bastards deserve your love and devotion," Draco hissed, climbing onto his mate's lap, wrapping himself as tightly around the distraught Elf as he could, even going so far as calling forth his wings so that he could cocoon his mate with his love and shelter him from the world, if only for a little while.

"If you have no ties to those who betrayed, then why do you stay?" Silverwind asked, already knowing that his grandson had given his loyalty to someone, and that someone was why they were staying in the wizarding world.

Harry sighed and tightened his arms around Draco for a moment before shifting him slightly so that he could see his grandfather better, but making sure to keep a secure grip on the blond, not wanting to lose the close contact since it was grounding him and giving him the strength he needed to carry on this conversation.

"Because, no matter how much I'd love to see those bastards suffer under Voldemort's rule, I can't turn my back on the thousands of innocents who have done nothing to earn such a fate.

"Vol- erm, I mean, the Dark Lord has to be stopped," Harry said, sending Lucius and Severus an apologetic look when they hissed at him for using You Know Who's name, momentarily forgetting not to use that word, so used to do it just to spite those he was talking to since Harry found their cringing in fear simply ridiculous.

"And since everyone is convinced that I am the only one who can do it, I can't leave the wizarding world until that matter has been resolved one way or the other," Harry said simply, then an evil grin crossed his face.

"That, however, doesn't mean that I will go along with whatever crackpot plan Dumbledore has hatched for this year. I am going to fight this war, not because I want to, but because I have to, and I will do it on my terms. The rest of the wizarding world can go and hang for all I care.

"True, I don't want them to suffer under the Dark Lord's rule, but I have a feeling that unless something is done, nothing will change once he is gone, and it won't be long before a new Dark Lord or Lady pops up, rallying people to some cause or other, and you know why? Because the people of the wizarding world are sheep," Harry said with conviction.

"You know, sometimes I actually wonder if magic rotten people's brains or something. Most of the wizards and witches I meet seem incapable of thinking for themselves, unable to draw conclusions from facts they have seen with their own two eyes," Harry said with a shake of his head. The students here at Hogwarts were prime example of what Harry meant. They had all seen him, they knew what he was like, and still they believed the _Daily Prophet_ over what they themselves knew.

"As long as the so-called Dark Creatures are mistreated by wizards. As long as corrupt people work at the Ministry of Magic. As long as the laws are ignored by law enforcement, then nothing will change, and unless there is a profound change of the wizarding world, then there will never be peace. There will only be a down period before the next tyrant comes along. And _that_, more than anything else, is what I want to change," Harry said, looking directly at his grandfather as he spoke, wanting the older Elf to know of his determination.

"And how do you plan to educate the masses?" Shayell asked, struggling to keep her scorn out of her voice, knowing that she had failed when both Malfoys scowled at her.

"I'm not sure yet," Harry said calmly, unruffled by the scorn. "I was planning on somehow starting up a third side in this war. We've been talking some, but we haven't had any time to actually do anything yet," Harry admitted with a shrug. "We wanted to get rid of the Dark Marks first, freeing Lucius and Severus so they could bond, finally. We've also talked about starting up a paper that wouldn't be a gossip rag, which, hopefully, in time, could help educate the masses to become something more than bleating sheep.

"I suppose something needs to be done about the education system as well. The vision the Founders had with Hogwarts was great, but along the way it became corrupted, I guess. Take the idea with the four Houses for example," Harry said, growing enthusiastic. "It sounds good on paper, but with the current hostility between Gryffindor and Slytherin, the entire thing becomes a joke. I mean, everyone in the wizarding world seems to think that anyone sorted into Slytherin is evil.

"Think on it, from that you are eleven years old you are branded with a brand that will never leave you, and that is just plain wrong. There is nothing wrong with cunning and ambition, but the way the wizarding world are today, anyone sorted into Slytherin for those two traits are seen with suspicion and even hatred.

"That is a fourth of the wizarding world who are shunned because of the House they were sorted in. No one speaks as openly about Hufflepuff, but Helga's House isn't exactly well thought of either among the students, and that is another fourth of the wizarding populations that are branded, all because of the House they were sorted into while in school."

Harry shook his head with a soft sigh. "I don't know if anything can be done to correct that, or if it would be better to simply build a new school and just start over, but something needs to be done to lessen the hate."

"At the very least they could hire competent professors," Draco piped up, wanting to prevent the depression he could see build in his mate's eyes. "I mean, honestly, a ghost that is so incompetent that he puts his students to sleep? A Divination professor who spends her time prediction her students' death? A half-giant who can't tell whether an animal is dangerous or not? And don't get me started on the Defence professors. We haven't had a single decent one the time I've been a student here," Draco said with a sneer.

"At least we've dealt with the ghost," Harry said with a laugh.

"Yeah, you did, good on you," Draco stated, looking deeply into dancing green eyes, momentarily forgetting everything as he basked in his mate's good mood.

"The changes you speak of will take time to implement, young one, will you set yourself up as ruler of the wizarding world once you have dealt with this Dark Lord?" Silverwind asked, a little concerned for what this would mean for the Elven realm if that was what his grandson planned to do.

Harry cold only gape at his grandfather, then he broke into a peal of laughter. "Merlin no!" he cried once he could speak again. "I don't want to become the next Minister of Magic or anything like that. I don't want to become the next Albus Dumbledore either for that matter. I just want to live my life in peace and be whatever I want to be.

"Besides, until now I never really believed that I could defeat Tom anyway. I figured I'd give it my best shot and plan for my future if I should be so lucky as to have one," Harry admitted with a wry smile, adding with a smirk as Draco hissed in outrage, "Why do you think I said you got the short end of the stick? Considering that Dumbledore never gave me any training, how was I supposed to defeat a Dark Lord who is so feared that no one dares to speak his name? I never expected to live, and then you come and tell me that I am your mate. You really should have picked someone else, Draco, you _really_ should have picked someone else as your mate," Harry murmured, his good mood dissolving as he recalled the despair he'd been feeling when informed of his new state. The state of being a Veela's mate.

_Harry asked himselfH _

"Harry James Potter, you get that look out of your eyes this instance!" Draco hissed, glaring daggers at this mate. "I will never regret that Magic picked you as my mate. And I will _not_ allow that tosser calling himself a Dark Lord to kill you off, so there is no need for you to feel regret, do you understand me?" Draco demanded, continuing his hard stare into his mate's clouded green eyes.

"But-"

"Do you understand me?" Draco asked, not interested in hearing any of Harry's excuses as to why the two of them shouldn't bond.

Harry couldn't help but smile reluctantly. "Yes, I hear you, Draco," he murmured softly, reaching up to rub a smooth cheek. "But I still can't help but worry about you, about our bond, now and then. I'm sorry, I don't mean to doubt you, but..." Harry trailed off, unable to voice the churning emotions that threatened to swamp him.

"There is no need to worry, love. You forget. I am a Malfoy, and a Malfoy always gets their way," Draco stated pompously, sticking his nose high into the air, tricking a laugh out of his mate, causing the blond to smirk smugly as he felt his mate start to calm.

Still chuckling softly, Harry wrapped his infuriating mate into a tight hug, whispering softly, "Thank you," before releasing Draco so that he could turn his attention to the others in the room.

"Ohh, aren't they the sweetest thing you've ever seen?" Shayell cooed, causing Harry to blush a deep red and bury his head in Draco's shoulder.

Draco glared darkly at the queen for daring to embarrass his mate like that, preparing to lambast the Veela for her audacity.

"Leave the poor boys alone, Shayell," Silverwind said with a soft chuckle, because the queen was absolutely right, the boys were incredibly sweet together. "What I want to know more about is your plans to free Lucius and his mate. True, I haven't bothered much with the affairs of the mortal realm, but I have a few trusted officers that keeps me abreast of what is happening here, and it was my understanding that those marked was marked for life?" Silverwind said, giving the two men a curious look.

"That was our understanding as well, your majesty," Lucius replied after a swift, silent conference with his mate. "All that changed when Harry was discovered as my son's mate. Harry found a way to access a library most people don't even know exist, and in it he found a book that holds a potion that will be able to help us.

"But even that wouldn't have been enough if it wasn't for the fact that Harry is a Parselmouth and he managed to establish contact with our marks, learning from them a way to remove them completely without endangering either of us.

"If this works out as we hope, then we will offer to remove the marks from those who no longer are loyal to the Dark Lord," Lucius said, sharing another glance with his mate, adding softly, "We figured that the less people Riddle has to draw from, the less powerful he will be the day we face him in battle."

"And you feel that you can trust those you are offering to help?" Silverwind asked, finding their reasoning sound, yet worrying that their actions would end up in betrayal and possibly death.

"There is a possibility that those we help will betray us, but I trust Salissa and Eturo to inform us if we plan to approach one of Riddle's loyal followers," Lucius replied, unconsciously rubbing his mark, eliciting a soft hiss from the snake.

"Eturo and Salissa?" Silverwind asked, eyeing the blond's arm curiously.

"The spirits Tom Riddle enprisoned when he created the Dark marks," Severus explained, reluctantly pulling up his sleeve so that the Elven king could inspect the tattoo.

Silverwind took one look at the mark and recoiled in revulsion. "Abomination!" he spat out, a revolted look on his face. "He dared? He _dared_ to abuse the spirits so? Why wasn't I informed of what that mad man was doing?" Silverwind snarled, turning his head and sending the head of his guard a truly murderous look.

But before he could do more to the poor elf, the snake in Severus' tattoo began to hiss.

"What does it say?" Silverwind asked, his anger momentarily derailed.

"Salissa is a she, and she is saying that Riddle put a geas on them, making it impossible for them to tell anyone of what was happening," Harry said, tilting his head to the side as Salissa continued to hiss.

"She also says that when Riddle was reduced to a wraith that night, they managed to contact the spirit world, letting them know that something was wrong. They couldn't get free, but they did ensure that Riddle no longer could access the spirit plane, making it impossible for him to enslave any more spirits."

"But the Dark Lord has initiated new followers since his return," Severus protested, having been forced to watch as young wizards and witches threw their lives away, mostly due to expectations and/or pressure from their parents and relatives.

"If he did, it was without the aid of the spirit plane," Harry said with a shrug. "Maybe he found some other spell to use to link himself to his new minions. Or maybe he merely gave him his mark to show their loyalties and Riddle plans on imbuing them with spirit snakes as soon as he has found a way to enter the spirit plane again. Salissa doesn't know since there are no fellow spirits in those marks for her to converse with."

"Does that mean that we can't remove them?" Draco asked, thinking of his fellow Slytherins. It wasn't wildly known, but not everyone of his House mates wished to tie themselves to the Dark Lord. Riddle's incapability to rid himself of one Harry Potter had caused many of the younger generation to question just how powerful the Dark Lord was if he couldn't get rid of one lousy boy.

The blond teen took a secret delight in knowing that he had helped sow some of that dissidence among his year mates, being extremely careful as not to allow his true alliance be known. It simply wasn't safe to admit in Slytherin House that you did not wish to follow Salazar Slytherin's heir. Gryffindors might call it cowardice, but to a Slytherin, self-preservation was a very big thing, one of the reasons as to why they did not rush blindly into situations the way the lions did.

"I don't know," Harry admitted, "I guess it all depends on what spells Riddle uses on the new marks."

"I believe that is a discussion for another day," Silverwind cut in, not wanting his grandson to become depressed again. "First we need to focus on freeing your intended's father, _then_ we can worry about helping those who wish for freedom as well."

"I suppose you are right," Harry said, sounding somewhat doubtful, but he didn't feel secure yet to openly going against the king of the Elves.

"Silverwind is absolutely correct," Shayell stated, effectively drawing everyone's attention. "Do you have everything you need? Is there anything I and my people can help you with?"

Severus and Lucius shared a look. "If you could stand guard over Draco and Harry while we are soaking in the necessary potion, it would ease our minds immensely," Lucius admitted, looking his queen steadily in the eyes as he made his request.

"Consider it done," Shayell replied, a grin of delight on her face as she agreed, looking forward to getting to know Draco's mate better.

"Father!" Draco moaned, banging his forehead against Harry's shoulder in embarrassment. "I'm sixteen years old! Not a baby! I can look after myself and my mate just fine, thank you very much."

"I know how old you are, my Dragon. And yes, normally, I would agree that you are fully capable of defending your mate from most threat. But I still worry about you, and I find myself... uneasy. I do not like that I will not be able to help you should something happen while I am in seclusion. It does not help that Severus won't be here with you since he is needs to soak in the potion as well," Lucius reluctantly admitted, not liking to voice his insecurities in front of his queen and in front of total strangers.

Veela or not, Lucius was still first and foremost a Malfoy, and a Malfoy never allowed his feelings to show in public. He certainly did not admit to feelings of insecurity or inadequacy.

Still, his need to know that his heir and his mate was safe while he was locked away in the bathroom overrode his father's training, causing him to beg for help where he otherwise would have sneered and acted haughty. To a Malfoy family always came first, even though his father clearly had forgotten that, but Lucius was a firm believer of the old Malfoy values and he would fight tooth and nail to ensure that Draco and Harry was safe, and if that meant sacrificing his pride on occasion, then the price was worth it as long as his son, and now also his son's mate, was safe.

"Do not worry, Lord Malfoy, I and my people will ensure that nothing happens to your son or my grandson while you are freeing yourselves from the abomination that mares your skin, your magic, and your soul," Silverwind solemnly promised the elder blond, subtly reminding him that he too had an interest in keeping Draco and his mate safe.

Lucius didn't reply verbally but bowed his head to show that he had understood the unspoken words.

Harry watched the two men, huffing in irritation. Honestly, they all acted as if he and Draco needed a bunch of babysitters or something. It wasn't _their_ fault that things tended to go pear shaped around them. But try and convince Lucius and Severus of that. And now it looked as if the two royalties had jumped onto the same bandwagon as the two older Slytherins.

"Don't worry, love, we will prove them wrong," Draco whispered, no more happy with this development than Harry was.

The two teens shared a mischievous grin. They would prove to the others that they weren't troublemakers. They were just two, poor, misunderstood mates, cruelly misused by the magical world.

Shayell and Silverwind shared a look and a smile. Boys were boys and it was good to see that the meddling Dumbledore had done hadn't damaged the developing bond between them.

Lucius and Severus shared a longsuffering look. The boys were plotting again, meaning that there would be no peace and quite for the two of them anytime soon. At least they now had help keeping the consequences under control.

They hoped.

* * *

Next Time:

Here be dragons.

Until Then...


	69. Dumbledore's Utopia

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Harry Potter, his friends, or his enemies... alas.

* * *

_**69 Dumbledore's Utopia**_

_**Friday, Sep. 20**_

Rubeus Hagrid was in heaven. Inside the enclosure that had housed Beauxbatons' winged horses a few years back were eight dragons.

Eight. Dragons.

They might not be of a species that Hagrid recognised, but that was of little consequence for the half-giant. What was important was that he had been entrusted with the care of eight, small, cute-as-a-button dragons, and Hagrid had every intention of doing just that to the best of his abilities.

Giving the creatures one last look, Hagrid headed for home. He was sure he had a soft brush tucked away somewhere that would be perfect for grooming the dragons. All animals liked to be groomed, and it would give Hagrid the perfect opportunity to get to know them better.

Oh, he knew they weren't really dragons, that they were people who had been bespelled. But at the moment they looked and acted like dragons, and Hagrid was determined to enjoy every last second he had with his new charges. He would grieve after the enchantments had been broken.

HPDM

Albus Dumbledore had never in his life been so furious. Someone had dared to curse him. _Him_. How dare they? Didn't the culprit realise just who he was? He was Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. The leader of the Light, Head Mugwump and Chief Warlock!

He alone held the future of the wizarding world in his hands. He alone had the knowledge, not to mention the wisdom, to see what needed to be done to ensure their survival. Tom Riddle was a threat to their world. He needed to be dealt with, there was no doubt about that. But getting rid of Riddle wasn't the end.

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but Albus had come to realise that his sweet friend Gellert had been right all those years ago. The wizarding world needed to change. It needed to conform to what was the Greater Good, although, that greater good did not consist of what Gellert had dreamed of all those years ago.

No, Albus had spent a lot of time pondering what needed to change, and finally he had found a workable plan to ensure that the changes needed took place, and with as little blood spill as possible.

All that was needed was a hero. Albus should have realised that a long time ago, but he had been so heartbroken and tired after he'd defeated Grindelwald that he hadn't understood just how much power he had at the tip of his fingers. All he'd needed to do was ask, and it would have been given to him.

Fortunately, it wasn't too late. He still had time to implement his plans for the bright new future he and Gellert had dreamed of in their youth. All thanks to Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived.

Albus might still be hailed as the unofficial leader of the Wizarding world, but he was an established icon, one the people was used to and, sadly, no longer paid as much attention as they should, which the past, turbulent, few years had proven.

But there was still Harry. Sweet, young, blessedly naive Harry Potter, the darling of the Wizarding world. True, Fudge had done an admirable job of smearing Harry's good name, but the lad had rallied and forced Cornelius to eat his own words, causing the idiotic man's reputation to take a severe beating. Couldn't have happened a more deserving man. Albus secretly couldn't stand the fool, and always took great pleasure in leading him around the nose.

Albus lost himself in his memories for a moment, but was rudely jolted out of them when some of the other dragons clamoured around Hagrid in an attempt to gain his attention.

Snorting in annoyance, the Headmaster of Hogwarts returned to his thoughts. The key to everything was Harry.

Once Harry had defeated Voldemort the people of the wizarding world would all but worship the boy in their gratitude that the threat to their world was over. And it was then they would strike.

Albus, using Harry's status as a hero, would in one fell swoop implement the many changes that were desperately needed if they were to ensure that they as a specie was to survive.

The Ministry of Magic would have to be abolished, of course, and the Wizengamot would have to be disbanded. There was no way in hell that Albus wanted to give people like Lucius Malfoy a chance to oppose him once he had been instated as the only leader of the Wizarding world.

Besides, most of the members of the Wizengamot were useless, only using the power their position gave them to further themselves, not giving a thought to the furtherment of their world.

No, it was beyond time that the Old Ways were brought back. The Old Traditions had been all but forgotten by everyone but the most traditional of the Purebloods, replaced by newer ideas brought in by the Muggleborns and the Half-bloods.

The Muggle world had no place in the Wizarding world, and it was time someone made that abundantly clear. The Muggles had grown in numbers at an alarming rate, and if a new Witch Hunt was to take place, Albus wasn't sure if they could survive it. He refused to stand back and watch as the world he loved, and that he had sacrificed so much for, was destroyed from outside forces.

Now was the time for one strong leader, and that leader was he. Using Harry to rally the people, Albus was going to bring back the Old Ways, where the Purebloods ruled unopposed, where the Half-blood served as craftsmen and merchants, and where the Muggleborns were used as serfs, after they had cut all ties with the Muggle world.

Unlike some rulers under the Old System, Albus had compassion, and as such he wasn't prepared to bring in the Muggle parents, forcing them to breed in hopes that they would produce more magical offspring, but he wasn't prepared to allow them to know of the Magical world without some kind of safety check in place.

He also didn't approve of the way the Muggleborns had been used as pleasure slaves and brood mares during the Old System.

True, if a Pureblood Lord wanted more children, and his wife couldn't, or wouldn't, produce more than the required heir, then a suitable Muggleborn could be given the honour of carrying the children, but Albus did not approve of abusing others just to prove who held the power.

Another reason as to why he needed to set himself up as ruler of the Magical world, to ensure that his rule actually was followed by all. No more would Purebloods mange to circumvent the law by using bribes or sweet promises. Albus rule would be absolute, and it would encompass everyone, even the proudest of Pureblood.

Harry was probably going to put up a fuss, at first. After all, both his mother and his best friend were Muggleborns, something that was somewhat regrettable, but at least Hermione had proven herself by being utterly and completely devoted to him, just as she should be.

But after Albus had explained matters to the boy, and having shown him that Hermione held no future in their world the way it stood now, then Harry would see that Albus knew what was best and join him in his work to better their world.

And if he didn't... Then Albus was going to use the boy's attempted rebellion to prove to the population that Harry was still nothing but a young child who needed firm guidance; and who better than the new leader of the wizarding world to give the boy that guidance?

Because, even if Harry did indeed vanquish the Dark Lord, and would ride high on that fame, there was no question as to who held the most connections, and who held the most power between the two of them.

It had taken Albus almost an entire lifetime to learn how to utilise the fame and power he had gained defeating Grindelwald. Harry, no matter how bright a boy he was, would need years yet to grow into his fame, especially since Albus had ensured that the boy was woefully ignorant of his rights and obligations as both Head of the Potter family and a national hero. There was no need to make his own job of controlling the Boy Who Lived harder than it had to be.

Albus chuckled to himself, losing himself in his vision of the new, improved wizarding world that would emerge once he had been instated as its only leader.

At the absolute top of the world would be Albus Dumbledore of course. He would need to look into producing a child soon, an heir that could take over as ruler once he departed from this life. There was no way he'd allow anyone but a Dumbledore to keep the leadership he'd worked so hard for to establish.

Under him would be the Purebloods. They would be so thankful to him for returning the Old Ways that they would be more than willing to swear fealty to him and his line, ensuring that Albus and his heirs would remain leaders of the wizarding world, as were their right.

Next were the Half-bloods. They would never achieve the status of the Pureblood, of course, but they could attain a decent way of life if they agreed to act as merchants and craftsmen.

No Pureblood worth their ancestors' praise would sullen their hands by actually working. It was only poor excuses for wizards like Arthur Weasley and his brood who did that. Decedents of fools who lost it all through mismanagement, gambling, or blood feuds they could ill afford. There were a reason the Wesley family were looked down upon by the elite, and it had little to do with Arthur's fascinations with all things Muggle, although that certainly did not help him regain the status his forefathers had lost through pure folly.

No, let the Half-bloods sully their hands with work since they would never be accepted by the Purebloods, and rightly so. No witch or wizard worthy of the magic in their blood would sully themselves by breeding with Muggles.

At the bottom of the ladder would be the Muggleborns and possibly their families. And only if the parents had proven that they could bring forth _powerful_ magical offspring.

The Muggleborns would have to cut all ties with the Muggle world, no exceptions whatsoever. For years, Albus had encouraged Muggleborns to embrace their true world, to embrace their magical inheritage, and every, single time he had been bitterly disappointed.

Most Muggleborns accepted the schooling the wizarding world offered, and then they promptly turned their backs on everything they had been taught and returned to the Muggle world, not caring that they risked exposing them to the Muggles as long as they got to celebrate Christmas and Easter and use cars and computers and whatnot.

Albus had been forced to reach the conclusion that Muggleborns were egotistical and lazy, not caring for anything or anyone but themselves, and therefore it was beyond time someone put a stop to their selfish ways.

No, Muggleborns had to be kept on a short leash or they would continue to undermine the magical world, making it less than what it should be.

Fortunately, Albus had it all planned out. Once a Muggleborn had their first spurt of accidental magic, making it possible to locate them, they would be brought in to the magical world. The child would then be given to a Pureblood family and be fostered by them until they reached an age when they could start being of use by the family caring for them.

They would be given a rudimentary education in magic, learning those skills they needed to do their assigned jobs. Mostly, they would be tending the gardens or the farms connected to the Pureblood's estate, giving them an opportunity to earn their keep while giving back to the magical community who had been nurturing them. On a rare occasion a particularly bright Muggleborn might surmass to something more, but in the old days, that would had only happened once or twice and Albus had no reason to believe that things would be different this time.

After all, Muggleborns _were_ inferior to most wizards, due to their unclean blood. Muggles had to be the most wretched creatures walking this Earth. Possibly only Dementors and Inferi were lower in status than Muggles, but then again, neither Dementors nor Inferi were natural creatures but creations of some serious Dark magic.

Albus shuddered as he recalled the Muggles who had caused his family such harm. Poor little A? had never overcome the horror those _boys_ had put her through. And it was because of Muggles that Albus had lost his father, leaving his mother alone to care for her family. No, he had never forgotten where the blame for his family's misfortune lay, and he had never forgiven.

For a time he had thought that Gellert had the answers he was seeking, but, sadly, that had turned out to be a fool's dream. But now, decades after his doomed love affair with the charming dreamer he'd met so many years ago, Albus was finally at the brink of creating the Utopia he had been seeking for in his youth.

Oh, he had pretended to support the Muggleborns, realising early during his career as a professor that they could help him gain power. A pat on the head here, a word of wisdom there, and they were all eating out of his hand. Especially once word spread about his achievements in Alchemy and particularly after his defeat of Grindelwald. It didn't exactly hurt that his victory came about at the same time as Hitler's defeat. It hadn't been difficult to make the Muggleborns believe that he had had a hand in that tyrant's defeat as well.

The poor little dears, so easy to fool, so easy to lead. Albus couldn't help but chuckle as he recalled the ways he had used the Muggleborns' gullibility. Ah, but those had been the days. The days when he had been unopposed by everyone. By everyone but Tom Riddle.

Tom Riddle.

The nosy little upstart. Refusing to allow Albus to guide him, _insisting_ on doing everything his own way. And look at him now.

The little fool had allowed the Dark Arts to warp him until nothing of the bright student that Albus had taught was left. Lord Voldemort indeed. The boy had become pathetic, and completely obsessed by a child. A child he was incapable of killing! Not that Albus was complaining about that since things would look pretty grim if Tom did succeed in killing Harry Potter, but that was beside the point. The point was that Tom was living proof what happened when Purebloods bred with Muggles and then refused to allow older and wiser wizard to guide them on their way to greatness.

Albus sighed once more, idly watching as twin tendrils of smoke slowly raised towards the sky. No, Tom Riddle had proven to be a complete disappointment. Fortunately, Harry was proving to be so much better than Tom. It _was_ a pity that Lily was a Muggleborn, but at least she had allowed him to guide her once she entered the magical world.

Fortunately, James had been of the same mindset and had ensured to minimize Lily's access to the Muggle world and the things they favoured. Luckily, the atmosphere between the sisters had already been tense so it had been easy to create a situation resulting in a complete break of communication.

Unfortunately, that break had caused Petunia to be harsher on Harry than was necessary, but there was nothing Albus could do about it. Harry needed to reside close to his mother's blood, and besides, a little hardship had never harmed anyone. Just look at him. Albus had experienced hardships in his life, and he had only become stronger by facing them and overcoming them.

But back to Harry. Harry had been such a sweet, malleable child once he'd returned to the wizarding world. Once again had Albus' forethought proven accurate. Minerva had protested the boy's placement, but Minerva had such a tender heart, the sweet dear, but even she had realised the danger of a swellheaded hero.

Fortunately, Harry had turned out just as he had envisioned. Eager to please, reluctant to question his betters, always willing to lend a hand when dangerous feats needed to be performed. Yes, Harry Potter had turned out to be the perfect hero.

If only the boy had _stayed_ the perfect hero.

Sadly, Harry had not. These days the child _insisted_ on questioning him no matter what words of wisdom Albus spoke. Not to mention that Harry seemed to take an almost sadistic glee in being contrary at every turn. For some reason Harry simply refused to listen to reason, and matters had only grown worse after he'd been informed of his statues as Draco Malfoy's mate.

Albus simply didn't understand it. It must have been something the Malfoys had done, but what magic could the two Veelas possibly have evoked that caused Harry to turn his back on his mentor so completely? What promises had the blonds made the child to cause him to turn his back on everyone he once held dear?

Something, somewhere, must have happened to so profoundly affect Harry, but for the life of him Albus simply could not figure out what had happened.

Or was it something that had happened at Headquarters? Molly hadn't exactly kept it a secret that she was furious with Harry for dragging her children into danger, but Albus had already addressed that issue with the boy, extracting a promise not to go haring off again without first consulting with the Headmaster, so Albus wasn't worried on that front.

Had someone said something to the boy? It was true that Harry had begun to pull back long before young Draco made his claim. Or was it simple grief that caused Harry to act the way he did? But it wasn't as if Harry and Sirius had been close to each other, so that simply could not be the answer. But if not that, then what had happened to the sweet boy who had been willing to sacrifice everything to ensure the safety of the wizarding world?

It was a pity that Hermione had been turned into a donkey. Albus made a mental note to have another talk to Harry about that. Harry should be above such childish behaviour, and it was beyond time that he turned Hermione back to her human form. Perhaps if he made another threat towards Draco the boy would comply?

Hmm... Draco Malfoy...

The boy and his father were turning out to be a bigger threat towards Albus' authority than he'd thought possible. He'd been so sure the two Veelas would do _anything_ to remain in Harry's good grace. The only logical conclusion of that assumption was that the older Malfoy would be more than eager to spy on Tom, reporting everything he knew to Albus.

But Lucius had never offered his services. Furthermore, Harry, to Albus' knowledge, had done nothing to encourage either Malfoy to place themselves in Albus' capable hands. That was another matter that needed to be addressed.

_Yes, the moment Hermione is returned to her original form I will have her research ways to keep a mated Veela in check. That way, if someone should complain to the Veela council, my hands will be clean and all the blame will be put on a jealous, human child still new to our ways_, Albus thought with satisfaction.

_That reminds me, when that time comes, I think I will keep Hermione for myself. It is a pity she can't be used to carry my heir, but with her skill when it comes to learning she will be the perfect librarian, not to mention researcher. I will have to take steps to ensure that she can't rebel against me, of course, but a simple blood binding to my line along with a serfdom fealty oath should take care of that nicely._

_And that reminds me that I need to find out just how many of the old families there still are in Britain, and how many Muggleborn serfs they will be able to care for. I suppose there will be a shortage at first, but a careful breeding program should ensure that there will be no shortage of serfs, especially if we continue to bring in new blood as soon as they appear. If we should get too many serfs in the future, we can simply bind the magic of the new Muggleborns and allow them to live out their lives as Muggles._

Albus was brought out of his musings when three of the dragons began to fight each other as they struggled to take possession of the treat Hagrid had provided for them. Annoyed, Albus rose to his feet and stalked towards the three fighters, letting out a roar as he drew near, shooting a flame of fire at them as well.

The dragons immediately pulled back, allowing Albus to take possession of the treat, completely ignoring the reprimand coming from the half-giant and his admonish about sharing with the others.

Returning to his corner Albus calmly began to eat the side of beef Hagrid had produced from somewhere, grumbling under his breath about the lack of respect he'd been shown, vowing to talk sternly to his professors about that once the blasted enchantment had worn off.

Just wait until he got his hands on the prankster currently plaguing the school. He had secretly supported the Marauders, turning a blind eye from time to time when it was needed. He had happily cheered on the Wesley twins, finding great amusement in their various pranks, but this... _hooligan_ had gone much too far. Someone had actually dared to prank the great Albus Dumbledore and once Albus found out who that someone was, he was going to make them so sorry their great grandchildren would still feel the regret.


End file.
